Keir Starmer faces yet another blow as rumours have been circulating that Wes Streeting could be leading a plot to overthrow him as Prime Minister.
On Tuesday, the Guardian reported that someone inside Number 10 was briefing that Downing Street was setting up a plan to protect Starmer from the leadership challenge.
The Health Secretary has denied the claims, even telling Sky News that the comments are ‘the worst attack on a faithful since Joe Marler was banished from the Traitors final’.
Despite attempts to quash gossip about the potential coup, the story has led to questions over Starmer’s future, and who could take over from the Labour leader in the future.
Here’s a breakdown of the runners and riders.
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Who could replace Keir Starmer?
Wes Streeting
Health Secretary Streeting is the current favourite to replace Keir Starmer.
Streeting grew up on a council estate, and was the first member of his family to go to University – funding this, he says, through retail jobs.
After Starmer was elected Leader of the Labour Party, the MP for Ilford North was made Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, then Shadow Minister for Schools.
In July last year, Streeting was made Health Secretary. Most recently, he has secured £1billion to make 18,000 redundancies in the NHS.
Yesterday, a website with the address ‘Wes.For.Leader.com’ was registered online, however someone close to Streeting said the site was ‘nothing to do with anyone around Wes’.
Shabana Mahmood
As Home Secretary, Mahmood is also high on critics’ lists to replace Starmer.
MP for Birmingham Ladywood, Mahmood held various shadow minister roles in Ed Miliband’s Shadow Cabinet, including Shadow Minister for Prisons and Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury.
Following Jeremy Corbyn’s election as Labour leader, Mahmood stepped down. She returned to the Shadow Cabinet in 2021 and was then appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice by Starmer in 2023.
In 2025, Starmer made Mahmood Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor. In the September reshuffle, she was made Home Secretary, and in this role she has been heavily involved with crackdowns on the right to protest.
Angela Rayner
Rayner, who recently resigned as Deputy Prime Minister, Housing Secretary and Deputy Labour Party leader after paying incorrect stamp duty, is the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne.
Jeremy Corbyn appointed Rayner Shadow Secretary of State for Education in 2016. She stood for Deputy Leadership of the Labour Party in 2020 and held the position until this year.
When Starmer won the election, Rayner became Deputy Prime Minister. Since her resignation, she remains an MP.
It has been reported that Rayner could hold the power to influence who becomes the next leader of the party, even if she does not make the attempt herself.
Ed Miliband
Miliband is Energy Secretary, and was previously the leader of the Labour Party from 2010 to 2015.
After resigning as leader of the Labour party, Miliband remained an MP until Starmer appointed him to his Shadow Cabinet in 2020 as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
He was appointed to his current role in 2021.
Some sources have said Miliband would be unlikely to challenge Starmer solo, but may support another candidate in their leadership challenge.
Andy Burnham
Burnham sat as an MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester from 2001 to 2017 and was promoted to the Government in 2005.
In Gordon Brown’s cabinet of 2007, he was made Chief Secretary of the Treasury, then promoted to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. He was then appointed Secretary of State for Health.
After serving in the opposition, Burnham announced he would be running for Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2016. He was elected to the position in 2017.
Last month, it was rumoured that there were calls from within the Labour party for Burnham to push Starmer aside.
It is important to note that for someone to challenge Starmer as leader of the Labour Party, they must be an MP.
Burnham let go of his MP status to take on his current role, Mayor of Greater Manchester, so he doesn’t fit the bill for a potential candidate.
He has repeatedly denied claims that he would return to Westminster, let alone challenge Starmer for the leadership position.
Despite this, Burnham is the public’s second favourite to Streeting for Starmer’s replacement.
Starmer’s approval rating
The public opinion of Starmer is at an all time low. At the beginning of November, 73% of people said Starnmer was doing ‘badly’ as PM, and this has been reflected in polls calling for a new leader of the Labour party.
Could it actually happen?
Under Labour’s rules, 20% of the party’s MPs must nominate a new challenger for the party leader to change. Losing party leadership means losing the role of Prime Minister too.
That would be 81 members, given the party’s size in the House of Commons, and could (in theory) happen at any time.
Aside from resignation (or death), the only other way for a prime minister to lose their title at any time is for a vote of no confidence to be called by the leader of the opposition.
It has been suggested that Labour will face challenges at the local elections in many parts of England, and the devolved elections in Scotland and Wales, in May next year, which could in turn see Starmer lose his title.
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