Energy secretary Ed Miliband is likely to be urged to run to stop a Wes Streeting coronation, as Labour MPs from the left prepare to push for a leadership challenge against Keir Starmer. Following grim results in local elections on Thursday, former minister Catherine West said she would launch a bid to end the impasse if no cabinet ministers step forward by Monday.
Starmer Under Pressure After Election Losses
Labour lost more than 1,400 councillors across England, shedding support to Reform UK and the Greens in traditional heartlands. In Wales, the party lost power for the first time, falling to just nine Senedd seats behind Plaid Cymru and Reform, while also losing ground in the Scottish parliament. Starmer reiterated his determination to stay on, saying a change of leadership would “plunge the country into chaos.”
Left Wing Pushes for Miliband
Dozens of backbenchers from the party’s left are preparing to turn to Miliband, urging him to step in and prevent a Streeting coronation. They believe Angela Rayner, Starmer’s former deputy, does not have enough support. Some MPs support Andy Burnham, but a by-election to return him to parliament would be time-consuming and uncertain.
Wes Streeting has been speculated as a possible candidate, but his allies deny any move and point to his public support for Starmer. Catherine West, a north London MP sacked by Starmer as a Foreign Office minister last year, said she would ask colleagues on Monday to back her as a way of starting a contest. She has the support of 10 MPs, far below the required 81, but her action could prompt others.
“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 an international role,” West said. She added: “I don’t have a candidate. That’s part of the problem. But I think there are several people who would like to do it, who have been planning for months, but I’m very surprised that none of them has popped up today to say, ‘I will do it.’”
Starmer Fights Back with Appointments
Starmer began a fightback on Saturday with two new appointments he characterized as “future-looking,” involving Labour grandees Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman. Brown, former prime minister and chancellor under Tony Blair, will serve as Starmer’s envoy on global finance, advising on financial partnerships for defence-related investments, especially with Europe. Harman, former deputy leader under Brown, will advise on women and girls, focusing on tackling violence and improving economic opportunities.
Speaking in south London, Starmer said: “I’m not going to walk away from this. That would plunge the country into chaos.” Other Labour MPs, including Clive Betts and Debbie Abrahams, have called on Starmer to set a date to hand over leadership. Abrahams said: “We have to recognise the dangers that we’re in now, that on this trajectory it doesn’t look good. I think it is a matter of months.”
Freshman MPs Join Calls for Change
Tony Vaughan, Labour MP for Folkestone elected in 2024, said there “must be an orderly transition of leadership well before the local elections next year.” Another 2024-intake MP, Terry Jermy, released a statement saying Starmer “needs to consider whether he is the right person to take the party and the government forward.” Tracy Brabin, West Yorkshire mayor, described the losses as “catastrophic” and warned that the government faced “oblivion” at the next general election without renewed “boldness” from ministers.
