112 resultsfor “Wes Streeting Labour leadership contest”
Wes Streeting, a key Starmer rival who [announced his resignation](/news/2026/5/14/uk-health-secretary-wes-streeting-resigns-from-government) as health secretary on Thursday, publicly backed Burnham on Friday morning. “We need our best players on the pitch. There is no doubt that
contest straight after. He can’t take us into next year’s locals. It’s too late.” However, Starmer insisted that he “won’t walk away” from the leadership as doing so would “plunge
Wes isn’t going to challenge Keir but he is preparing in case it all falls apart.” Streeting is understood to have delivered this same message to No 10 last week but he will
leadership tensions gripped Westminster, culminating in the prospect of Burnham challenging Starmer for the role of PM after the Greater Manchester mayor [announced he would run for parliament](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/14/labour-mp-to-stand-down-to-allow-burnham-run-for-byelection-amid-leadership-row) in the north-west
Wes Streeting is a “huge political talent”. But overall, the intervention by the former prime minister almost feels designed to inflict maximum annoyance on his party, in terms of the content of the repeated criticism
Wes Streeting’s resignation letter, a cadence so similar to Burnham’s own that it cannot be accidental. So is this the first glimmer of a deal between Labour’s two powerhouses – the soft left
contest is about, and those issues are issues for another time, and they are issues for members of parliament.” Meanwhile there has been a row over Reform’s conduct in the battle for Makerfield, with
contested the seat just outside Wigan in the 2024 general election, as a local champion taking on a professional politician who is using the seat for his own advantage. Kenyon, however, faced immediate scrutiny
leadership in question. “I think the very best thing the prime minister could do now is address the nation tomorrow and set out a timetable for his departure,” the local Labour MP, Jonathan Brash, [told
contest. "My preferred option is for the cabinet to do a reshuffle within itself, where there's plenty of talent, and for Keir to be given a different role, which he might enjoy, perhaps
Wes Streeting, a potential leadership contender. Morris said the prime minister "no longer has the trust or confidence of the public". Melanie Ward, PPS to Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, Naushabah Khan, PPS to Cabinet
Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner were buttering up [Labour](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/labour) MPs in the Strangers’ Bar in parliament as colleagues spoke of their “existential” fear about the crucial elections next week. Starmer, meanwhile, tried