1.2.2 – Established UK parties
The last week has been rife with speculation over the future of Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party, intensified on Wednesday 15 May with the resignation of the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting and the announcement that Andy Burnham would seek to return to Westminster. Unlike the United States, the Prime Minister does not have a directly elected mandate. This means that voters at the 2024 General Election were not voting for him to be Prime Minister (although this certainly does factor into the decision-making for many voters). Instead, Starmer is Prime Minister by virtue of being the leader of the largest party able to command a majority in the House of Commons. Labour, like all major political parties, has mechanisms in place to allow MPs to challenge the leader of the party.
A Labour leadership election could be triggered in one of two ways – either Keir Starmer announces his resignation as leader, or he is challenged by one of his MPs. Any challenger would need the backing of 81 MPs (there could be several contestants), while Starmer would automatically be on any ballot paper. It would then be up to Labour Party members and affiliated supporters to decide the next leader. If such a contest led to a change of party leader, it would also lead to a change in Prime Minister without the involvement of the wider electorate, as was the case several times during the previous Conservative government.
Given the febrile atmosphere amongst Labour MPs, it is distinctly possible that there will be a new Prime Minister in the short-to-medium term, with several figures emerging as the most likely to challenge Starmer.
Wes Streeting
Wes Streeting is the MP for Ilford North and, until last week, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Born in east London, he grew up on a council estate, read history at Selwyn College, Cambridge, and became president of the National Union of Students. Before entering Parliament, he worked in the voluntary sector and served as deputy leader of Redbridge Council.
Streeting entered Parliament in 2015, winning Ilford North from the Conservatives. He became known as a sharp critic of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership and as a pro-European, reformist Labour figure.
Under Keir Starmer, Streeting rose quickly through the shadow front bench. He served in various junior roles before being appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Child Poverty, and then Shadow Health Secretary from November 2021 until the 2024 election.
After Labour’s victory in July 2024, Streeting became Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. His brief includes NHS performance, finance and social care policy. In office, he declared the NHS “broken”, prioritised ending junior doctor strikes, and helped secure a 2024 pay deal. He has also championed Labour’s 10-year NHS plan, built around shifts from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention. His resignation from the Cabinet last week could prove to be a key moment in determining what happens next to Keir Starmer.
Factionally, Streeting sits on Labour’s soft right or centrist wing. He is associated with Starmerite politics and the Labour Growth Group. As a potential frontrunner in any electoral contest, he would have been hoping for a short campaign (triggered by an immediate resignation from Keir Starmer) in order to prevent Andy Burnham entering the race.
Andy Burnham
Andy Burnham is the Mayor of Greater Manchester. Born in Aintree in 1970, he studied at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, before working for Tessa Jowell, the NHS Confederation, the Football Task Force and as a special adviser to Culture Secretary Chris Smith.
Burnham was Labour MP for Leigh from 2001 until 2017. He rose quickly under New Labour, serving in ministerial posts at the Home Office, Department of Health and the Treasury. Under Gordon Brown, he entered the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, then became Culture Secretary in 2008 and Health Secretary in 2009. In opposition, he served as Shadow Education Secretary, Shadow Health Secretary and Shadow Home Secretary, and unsuccessfully stood for the Labour leadership in 2010 and 2015.
In 2017, Burnham left Westminster to become the first directly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester. He was re-elected in 2021 and 2024. As mayor, he has focused on devolution, transport, homelessness, housing and skills. He chairs the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and leads on policy, reform and transport.
Within Labour, Burnham is usually placed on the soft left or centre-left. He is more critical of Westminster centralisation than many Starmerites, and presents himself as a voice for English regional government and working-class communities. For Burnham to become Prime Minister, he would first need to re-enter Parliament via a by-election (the MP for Makerfield, Josh Simons, announced on Wednesday his intention to resign his seat to make way for him). The last time he considered this, he was blocked from doing so by Labour’s NEC on the grounds that it would jeopardise Labour’s hold on the mayoralty of Manchester. However, this time they have said that he will be allowed to run. Even if he does, it is far from certain Labour would retain the seat given Reform’s strong performance in the area in recent local elections.
Angela Rayner
Angela Rayner left school without formal qualifications, later studied at further education college, and worked as a care worker for Stockport Council. She became a UNISON workplace representative and rose through the union movement to become the most senior elected UNISON official in the North West.
Rayner entered Parliament in 2015 as MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, becoming the first woman to represent the constituency. She was first promoted under Jeremy Corbyn, serving in the shadow whips’ office, then as Shadow Pensions Minister and Shadow Education Secretary.
Under Keir Starmer, Rayner became Deputy Leader of the Labour Party in April 2020. She also served as Labour Party Chair, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work, Shadow Deputy Prime Minister, and Shadow Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary. After Labour won the 2024 general election, she became Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Rayner resigned on 5 September 2025 as Deputy Prime Minister, Housing Secretary and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party after controversy over underpaid stamp duty on a property. In her resignation letter, she said she had acted in good faith but accepted that she “did not meet the highest standards” and took responsibility for not seeking further tax advice. Last week, the Guardian reported that HMRC had cleared her of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness, though she had settled £40,000 in unpaid stamp duty.
Rayner is usually seen as part of Labour’s soft left. She has close links to trade unions, especially UNISON, and appeals strongly to Labour members because of her working-class background and plain-speaking style. She has worked with Starmer, but she is not usually seen as a full Starmerite. Her allies are often found among Labour’s trade union-linked, soft-left and northern MPs. The Labour Party has never had a female leader – a fact that the Conservatives are keen to point out to them given they have now had four (three of whom have served as PM).
Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband is the MP for Doncaster North. He studied at Oxford and the LSE, worked as a Labour researcher and adviser, and became closely associated with Gordon Brown before entering Parliament.
Miliband has been an MP since 2005. He rose quickly under New Labour, becoming Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from 2008 to 2010. After Labour returned to opposition, he became party leader Leader of the Opposition from 2010 to 2015. Under Starmer, he returned to the front bench as Shadow Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary in 2020, then Shadow Climate Change and Net Zero Secretary from 2021 to 2024. Since July 2024, he has been Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
The major controversy in his career was the 2010 Labour leadership contest, when he defeated his elder brother, David Miliband. The result was extremely narrow: Ed won by 50.7% to 49.3% under Labour’s old electoral college system. David led among MPs and party members, but Ed won strongly among affiliated trade union members, leading critics to claim he was “the unions’ choice”. It was the changes to leadership contests introduced under him that led to Jeremy Corbyn’s election as leader.
Miliband is usually placed on Labour’s soft left. His politics combine social democracy, environmentalism, support for public investment and a more interventionist state. His allies have included figures from the Brownite and soft-left traditions, while recent reports describe him as still popular with Labour grassroots and a possible soft-left alternative in future leadership debates.
How are Labour leaders chosen?
Contests are held using the alternative vote (AV). If there are two candidates, the person with the most votes wins. If three or more candidates enter, voters rank candidates in order of preference. The winning candidate will need over half the vote to win. If nobody has over 50% of the vote, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their votes redistributed to second choice candidate. This continues until someone has over the half the votes.