Health Secretary Wes Streeting arrived at Downing Street on Wednesday morning for a crucial meeting with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, as the Labour leader fights to hold onto power ahead of the King's Speech. The showdown comes after more than 80 Labour MPs called for Starmer to resign following a devastating local election defeat that saw the party lose over 1,400 councillors.
Streeting, seen as one of Starmer's most formidable rivals, strode into Number 10 for a one-to-one chat that the Prime Minister had refused to hold the previous day. According to reports, Streeting intends to ask Starmer 'how he intends to get us out of this mess.' Insiders suggest that Streeting may lack the necessary support from 81 MPs to launch a formal leadership challenge and is unlikely to move while King Charles III announces the government's legislative agenda.
King's Speech Expected to Bring Truce
The King's Speech, set to be delivered in the House of Lords, is expected to include more than 35 bills and draft bills, covering nationalisation of British Steel, NHS reforms, police reforms, immigration, green energy, and special educational needs. The pomp and ceremony may provide a temporary truce between warring Labour factions, but all eyes will be on Starmer's performance in the Commons later today.
Starmer is said to be increasingly confident he can survive the political crisis, despite the resignation of four cabinet ministers on Tuesday—Miatta Fahnbulleh, Jess Phillips, Alex Davies-Jones, and Zubir Ahmed—who were all replaced overnight. The government has appointed new ministers, including Nesil Caliskan, Natalie Fleet, Catherine Atkinson, and Preet Kaur Gill as parliamentary under-secretaries, along with new whips Gen Kitchen, Deirdre Costigan, and Shaun Davies.
Labour MPs Divided
In a sign of deep divisions, 110 Labour MPs have signed a statement opposing a leadership contest, arguing that the party must focus on delivering change. The statement reads: 'Last week we had a devastatingly tough set of election results. It shows we have a hard job ahead to win back trust from the electorate. That job needs to start today – with all of us working together to deliver the change the country needs. We must focus on that. This is no time for a leadership contest.'
However, 87 MPs have publicly called for Starmer to go. Rupa Huq, MP for Ealing Central and Acton, denied signing the pro-Starmer letter, saying she was 'surprised to see my name on this list when I haven't either signed any letter supporting the PM or called for the PM to go.'
Cabinet Support and Defections
Nine cabinet ministers have publicly backed Starmer, including Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who criticised 'navel gazers' within the party, and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who ruled out resigning. Paymaster General Nick Thomas-Symonds added his support, stating: 'We have to reject both panic and comfort, and put country before party.'
However, Lord Liddle, a senior Labour peer and former adviser to Tony Blair, defected to Team Streeting, calling for 'energy, boldness and a clear sense of strategy.' Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch released a scathing video, saying Starmer has 'terrible judgement' and that 'the problem is the entire Labour Party.'
International Reactions and Future Scenarios
US President Donald Trump weighed in, telling Starmer to 'open up the North Sea' and stop 'windmilling your country to death.' Trump said resignation was 'up to him.'
If Starmer resigns, a leadership contest would follow, but no general election would be triggered. The Labour backbench parliamentary committee has reportedly been blocked from privately meeting the Prime Minister, with No 10 citing a full diary.
As the political drama unfolds, the King's Speech will provide a brief respite, but the question remains whether Starmer can survive the growing revolt and unite his party.
