Possible successors are lurking Things are getting tight for Starmer - what's next in London?

dpa

15.5.2026 - 16:49

Prime Minister Starmer's British government is not emerging from the crisis. The election debacle is followed by the resignation of a minister. But the greatest danger for the head of government lurks elsewhere.

DPA

15.05.2026, 16:49

15.05.2026, 16:52

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After the disastrous local and regional elections, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under massive pressure and potential successors are already positioning themselves.
Starmer has lost the backing of his parliamentary group, and most recently Health Minister Wes Streeting resigned in protest against the Prime Minister.
Should other ministers resign, Starmer would probably also have to vacate his post.

The air is getting thinner and thinner for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The pressure on the leader of the Social Democratic Labor Party has been growing for months - and now it is greater than ever before. The Prime Minister is stubbornly refusing to resign. And it is uncertain whether he can be toppled. But the crisis is coming to a head. And names of possible successors are already circulating.

One week after the disastrous results in the local and regional elections, Health Minister Wes Streeting resigned on Thursday in protest against the prime minister. However, the biggest threat to Starmer could come from his inner-party rival Andy Burnham, who is being touted as a challenger to the tottering party leader.

The Mayor of Manchester has announced his intention to enter parliament. A party colleague had previously announced that he would resign his seat in the Makerfield constituency near Manchester to pave the way for Burnham.

Elections in Great BritainKeir Starmer is more unpopular than ever - why is that?

Is Starmer now facing the end?

It had been expected that Streeting would directly challenge the Prime Minister for the party chairmanship with his resignation, but this did not happen at first - and then came the news of Burnham's possible return to Parliament.

Starmer still seems to be successfully clinging on to his office. However, if other ministers were to resign, this could become difficult.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Energy Minister Ed Miliband, who according to media reports have spoken out in favor of the premier's early departure, are seen as a potential threat to him. If the Home Secretary were to resign, it would probably mean the end of the Starmer era.

Starmer's "big, big problem" is that he cannot do any government work due to a lack of support in his parliamentary group, Sky News reporter Sam Coates recently analyzed. "This can't go on for much longer." The legislative proposals presented on Wednesday at the opening of the new parliamentary session could not be implemented without the support of his parliamentary group. Starmer is increasingly presiding over a "zombie government".

Why is the "King of the North" so dangerous for Starmer?

Burnham has been the darling of the moderate-left wing of the party for months. As Mayor of Manchester, the 56-year-old has earned a reputation as a down-to-earth doer. In contrast to Starmer, he is seen as a courageous visionary. Burnham left parliament almost ten years ago after a failed attempt to become party leader. Now he is pushing back.

At the last Labour Party conference in September 2025 - Starmer was already under fire at the time - the politician now known as the "King of the North" was the secret star.

However, the road from Manchester to London is not easy: Burnham must first be approved as a candidate for the by-election. At the beginning of the year, he was denied this by the Labour leadership in a by-election. And then the election would still have to be won. The right-wing populist Reform UK party led by Brexit supporter Nigel Farage also performed strongly in Makerfield in the last election in 2024 - a risky gamble.

Denying Burnham the candidacy again would not be a smart move by the Labour leadership. After all, many had called for the mayor to return to Westminster - and Starmer cannot afford to incur the resentment of other MPs. According to the British media, Starmer will not attempt to prevent Burnham from doing so.

How does the election for the party chairmanship work?

To challenge Starmer, candidates need the support of 20 percent of Labour MPs, currently 81. If this is the case, a ballot will be held among members and other eligible voters. As the current chairman, Starmer will automatically stand for election. In this process, other candidates with 81 supporters from the parliamentary group can also apply.

In addition to Streeting and possibly now also Burnham, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has surprisingly also entered the fray. The 46-year-old from the left wing of the party resigned in September last year due to a tax scandal. This matter is now out of the question.

In any case, a leadership election would not be completed within a few days. On the contrary, this process could take weeks or even months.

Who is Wes Streeting actually?

At 43, Streeting would be a fairly young party leader and prime minister - but he would not take office as a blank slate.

Streeting has been an MP in Westminster since 2015 and, unlike Burnham, he is considered to be on the right wing of the Labour Party and downright hated on the left. He also had a close relationship with Labour veteran Peter Mandelson, who in turn became embroiled in the abuse scandal surrounding the deceased sex offender due to his close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

It remains to be seen whether Streeting and his supporters had factored in Burnham's possible return. The former health minister at least expressed his support for Burnham in the by-election: "Andy is the best chance of winning", he wrote on X with a view to Makerfield.

Six prime ministers in ten years

Many Britons would probably only give a short laugh in response to this question. Since the Brexit referendum, British heads of government have been holding the door handle of the famous black door at the seat of government in Number 10 Downing Street. With Starmer, there have already been six prime ministers in the past ten years - more than in the previous 35 years.

In the election campaign before his Labour Party's overwhelming victory in the summer of 2024, Starmer also won over voters with the promise to put an end to the constant political drama in Westminster. But now he himself is in danger of being remembered primarily for the drama surrounding his party.