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Prospect of Labour leadership race brings out different sides of rivals

challenge but merrily carrying on a campaign to win the membership’s hearts, including a decidedly leftwing plan for higher wealth taxes. All of them are potential contenders in a leadership contest that does

Sarwar says he will 'absolutely' stay on as Labour leader

responsibility for the strategy of focussing the campaign on constituencies rather than the list vote. He also defended campaign co-chairs Jackie Baillie and Douglas Alexander, saying they "did a good job in this election

UK’s Labour set for heavy losses in elections as Reform makes early gains

leadership](/news/2026/5/5/starmers-referendum-how-local-elections-could-expose-a-fractured-uk), with Labour trailing behind Reform UK in opinion polls in recent months. In response to the early results, Starmer said he would take responsibility for the outcome but indicated that he would

Leadership rules should ‘not be tweaked’ to let Burnham run for PM, Labour NEC member says

challenge in January. There was widespread anger among [Labour](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/labour) MPs and union backers after the 10-strong “officers’ group” of the party’s ruling body, including the prime minister, voted overwhelmingly

Labour must be bolder or it will lose, says Wes Streeting

leadership challenge, but he seemingly failed to get the necessary support from 80-plus Labour MPs. In his contribution to the king’s speech debate, Streeting had no direct criticism of Starmer, and praised

Burnham starts byelection campaign with thinly veiled pitch for No 10

response to a Daily Mail journalist who was part of the entourage. The Mail piece claimed that Burnham “fumed” when approached in the cafe, saying: “You don’t go into a place like that unannounced

What does Makerfield make of by-election and can Burnham win?

challenge this time round. One such voter, nursery worker Penelope Nelson, describes herself and her family as "fans" of Burnham. "He knows what the people want and he stands for that and I think that

Starmer to promise bolder action as leadership threats mount

Starmer is to promise bolder action to tackle "big challenges" facing the country, as he battles to persuade his MPs not to ditch him as Labour leader. The prime minister will seek to reset

Armed forces minister quits after Healey exit as defence funding row deepens

Starmer over funding for the military. Al Carns resigned on Thursday evening, writing to Sir Keir to tell him the government's defence investment plan (DIP) was "neither transformative enough nor sufficiently funded". It came

Andy Burnham to make bid to return to Commons as pressure mounts on Starmer

Starmer's leadership. Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, said he would seek permission to run for Labour in Makerfield after Labour MP Josh Simons said he would resign to make way for him. It came

Starmer needs sharper survival strategy if he is to stay on

response to Sarwar that was so swift it gave any potential rival very little time to act. This time the same team has once more assembled in the cabinet room, albeit largely without Cuthbertson

Reeves makes case to remain as chancellor with reports Burnham may favour Miliband

leadership, Reeves has had one of her better weeks in office. On Monday the International Monetary Fund [increased its forecast](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/may/18/imf-uk-borrowing-keir-starmer-rachel-reeves-andy-burnham) for UK growth, predicting the economy would grow 1% this year rather

Andy Burnham vows to ‘change Labour’ in direct challenge to Keir Starmer

challenge, Starmer replied: “Well, we’re not at that position. But I’ve said, I don’t know how many times, that I’m not going to walk away. I feel very strongly that

Watch: Reporter told to pose as gay for asylum claim

response to our findings, the Home Office said: "Anyone found trying to exploit the system will face the full force of the law, including removal from the UK." 5 hours ago [Home Office](/news/topics/c4e71xw4dkzt) [Refugees

European countries emerge as NATO leaders as U.S. role recedes

Starmer says the U.K. must upgrade its military in response to threats from Russia.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4826x4826+1150+0/resize/100/quality/85/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F06%2F86%2F7ac91f424d378beae56d4a2a868b%2Fgettyimages-2205375850.jpg)](https://www.npr.org/2025/06/04/nx-s1-5421217/britain-military-spending-ukraine-trump-russia) ### [World](https://www.npr.org/sections/world/) ### [Why the U.K. prime minister is calling for a bigger military to face Russia

Keir Starmer to face vote on Mandelson vetting scandal as key figures give evidence to MPs - UK politics live

challenge; the case for Starmer deliberately misleading MPs [is flimsy](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/apr/27/keir-starmer-peter-mandelson-inquiry-speaker-shoplifting-latest-news-updates?page=with%3Ablock-69ef43ed8f08cdba1e3f9b68#block-69ef43ed8f08cdba1e3f9b68), and the comparison to Johnson is wide of the mark. Labour is saying the vote today is just a stunt ahead

‘King of the North’: Who is Andy Burnham, a potential UK prime minister?

Starmer, Labour’s ruling Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) prevented Burnham from standing in the Manchester Gorton and Denton by-election, which was eventually won by the Green Party. Burnham, whose speech is peppered

‘Is he getting rid of Starmer?’ Profile boost for Streeting in Ilford North seat

challenge against Starmer. He has a slim majority of just 528 in Ilford North but even those who support other parties seemed pleased he was potentially up for the leadership. It seems the prospect

Monday briefing: How is it possible the prime minister didn’t know about Mandelson’s vetting failure?

responsibility for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson. In March, document released to parliament stated that national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, had doubts about Mandelson’s appointment, describing it as “weirdly rushed”, but crucially the documents

Challenge Starmer by Monday or I will, Labour MP tells cabinet

challenge Sir Keir Starmer as party leader by Monday, she will attempt to trigger a leadership contest herself. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, she said her preferred option would be for the cabinet