British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is clinging on to power a week after disastrous local and regional election results for his beleaguered Labour Party.
Here is what we know as rival Labour politicians manoeuvre for a likely leadership battle that promises to be long, bitter and paralysing for the government.
Starmer, 63, survived after his top team mostly rallied behind him following the resignation of four junior ministers, while dozens of Labour MPs called for his departure.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned with a withering assessment of Starmer’s leadership, but no other senior minister followed, and Streeting crucially did not trigger a leadership contest.
Streeting, from Labour’s right-wing and long believed to covet the premiership, instead called for a future contest made up of the “best possible field of candidates”.
Shortly afterward, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, popular on the party’s center-left, unveiled a bid to become an MP that, if successful, would allow him to run in any race.
Earlier, ex-deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, a left-wing figurehead among Labour’s grassroots, announced that she had settled a long-running tax case seen as an obstacle to a leadership bid.
Streeting, Burnham, and Rayner all stopped short of formally launching a bid for the top job, meaning Starmer, who has vowed not to walk away, faces a likely drawn-out wait for any challenge.
The prime minister’s official spokesman insisted Thursday that Starmer is “getting on with” governing.
His government has begun introducing bills announced in a legislative speech by King Charles III on Wednesday, even though Starmer may not survive to implement them.
“He’s only there because the party can’t decide who it wants to replace him,” Steven Fielding, a political historian and expert on Labour, told AFP.
Starmer’s allies continue to warn against a leadership challenge, with housing minister Steve Reed saying on Friday that it would see Labour “consumed” by chaos.
But in parliament, different factions among Labour’s 403 MPs are already lining up behind their preferred candidates.
Catherine McKinnell told BBC Radio that Streeting had “shown real leadership”, while Simon Opher said he thought Burnham could win Labour the next general election, expected in 2029.
– What happens next? –
The turmoil appears to be entering a holding period with Starmer granted a temporary stay of execution as MPs wait to see whether Burnham can return to parliament.
Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC), which selects the party’s candidates, must decide whether Burnham is allowed to stand in a by-election in Makerfield, northwest England.
The NEC blocked Burnham from being Labour’s candidate in another by-election earlier this year but is expected to allow him to stand this time, UK media has reported. It should announce its decision within days.
The election is expected in June at the earliest.
Burnham would face a tough fight from the poll-topping Reform UK, whose hard-right leader Nigel Farage has vowed to “throw absolutely everything” at the contest.
Once an MP, Burnham would require the support of 81 Labour MPs — 20 percent of the party in parliament — to launch a leadership challenge.
Any other contender would need the same numbers to join the race. Starmer, as current leader, would automatically be on the ballot if he wants to defend the challenge.
Labour members and affiliates get to vote, not just MPs. They rank candidates in order of preference and a contender needs 50 percent to win.
The contest would probably last several weeks. Throughout this period, Starmer would continue to perform prime ministerial duties, such as attending summits, and could warn that ousting him would spook financial markets.
“Starmer’s appeal to be a figure of continuity and stability means his survival can’t be ruled out, even if it seems all but certain he won’t fight the next election,” former No. 10 aide Patrick Diamond told AFP.
By Agence France-Presse
