Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s hold on the Labour leadership has weakened dramatically after the party’s local election losses and the fallout from his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington. Mandelson’s ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have drawn sharp criticism, and dozens of Labour members of Parliament are now calling for Starmer to step aside, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Starmer has publicly insisted he will not resign, and no formal leadership contest has been triggered. But behind-the-scenes maneuvering has already begun, with several high-profile Labour figures seen as potential successors.
Wes Streeting, the 43-year-old health secretary, is widely regarded as one of the government’s best communicators and has led on pledges to improve the National Health Service. His leadership ambitions have been the subject of longstanding speculation, and last year Starmer’s allies allegedly told British media that the prime minister would fight any challenge — with the speculation at the time centering on Streeting. Streeting strongly denied plotting to replace Starmer and called the suggestions “nonsense.”
Angela Rayner, 46, the former deputy prime minister, has long stood out for her compelling personal story. She grew up in social housing and left school at 16 as a teen mother before becoming active in trade unions and getting elected to Parliament in 2015. Rayner, who is on the party’s left, was forced to resign from the government last year after admitting she did not pay enough tax on a house purchase; she is still awaiting the findings of an official review of that controversy. More recently, she led a lawmakers’ revolt to force the government to cede control to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee over which Epstein-related documents should be released.
Andy Burnham, the 56-year-old center-left Greater Manchester mayor and former Cabinet minister, has long been seen as a potential rival. His leadership prospects were dented after Labour blocked him from standing as the party’s candidate for Parliament in a special election in February. By longstanding convention, the prime minister must be a member of Parliament, so Burnham’s supporters favor a delayed leadership contest that would give him time to return to the House of Commons through another special election.
Ed Miliband, the 56-year-old energy secretary, has already served as Labour leader, though his five years at the helm ended in the party’s 2015 election defeat. He has publicly played down any desire to return to the top job, but he remains one of the most experienced members of the Cabinet.
Shabana Mahmood, the 45-year-old home secretary, has one of the toughest jobs in government, overseeing immigration and law and order. She has become a favorite of many on the party’s right with her moves to tighten border controls and crack down on unauthorized immigration.