Streeting says he won’t challenge for leadership, suggesting Burnham on course to become PM without contest
Wes Streeting has posted this on social media. He confirms that he won’t stand as a candidate for the Labour leadership. He says that he a contest where candidates spent the summer “exaggerating small differences” would not be good for the party or the country, and he says that, having spoken to Burnham, he is confident that that there is “a place” for the policies he has been advocating under a Burnham premiership.
This means it is now very, very likely that Burnham will be PM be mid July. It is conceivable that another candidate may come forward. But, apart from Streeting, no one else has publicly signalled an intention to stand, and with Burnham now a shoo-in, it is hard to imagine any other MP getting the support they would need to be a candidate.
Key events
Will Starmer stay on as MP for Holborn and St Pancras?
A reader asks:
double quotation mark Question for Andrew (or anyone who knows): Will Starmer be staying on in the HoC as the MP for Holborn & St Pancras, or is he stepping back from that position too? If the latter, how soon would there be a by-election?
Keir Starmer has given no indication that he intends to stand down as an MP.
When Tony Blair resigned after he stood down as PM, he quit parliament immediately. David Cameron said that he would stay on when he resigned, but he quickly changed his mind, particularly when it became clear Theresa May was going to pursue policies he could not support (she wanted to lift the ban on new grammar schools). Boris Johnson resigned as an MP too, but that was a few months after he left No 10, and because the privileges committee was about to publish a report saying he lied to MPs over Partygate.
Starmer would probably find it as awkward sitting on the back benches listening to Andy Burnham take PMQs as Blair would have done listening to Gordon Brown. Starmer is not going to be sanctioned by the privileges committee, but like Cameron he may also not want be in a position where he is expected to vote for policies championed by his successor that he does not support. For Starmer, the idea of moving on may appeal.
But there is a big difference; Blair and Cameron could both leave parliament safe in the knowledge that their party would hold the seat in the forthcoming byelection. Johnson couldn’t, but he probably didn’t care.
At the last election Starmer had a majority of 11,572. At the 2019 election his majority was more than 27,000. An independent candidate campaigning largely on Gaza came second in the seat in 2024 and Electoral Calculus has the Green party currently on course to win Holborn and St Pancras under its modelling. For Starmer to trigger a byelection in those circumstances would be deeply hostile act towards his successor.
Having spoken about the need for an “orderly handover of power” in his speech today (see 9.43am), it is hard to see why he would be minded to sabotage Burnham in this way.
That does not mean, if Starmer remains an MP, he will have to be in the Commons every night. Party whips tend to be quite accommodating towards former prime ministers and, if he finds other duties that take him away from parliament, he is not likely to get into trouble for missing votes.
The PM normally does a session with the liaison committee before the start of the summer recess. The veteran broadcaster Michael Crick has a good proposal.
double quotation mark If it is a “coronation” the for scrutiny purposes, Andy Burnham should volunteer to be grilled very soon and at length by the Commons Liaison Committee which comprises all the select committee chairs.
Fromthe Times’ Tom Peck
double quotation mark Little bit of history made as Harry Kane, John Stones and Jordan Henderson look set to become the first England internationals to go through a change of prime minister during a major international tournament for a record breaking third time.
Cabinet ministers and others in the Labour party have been paying tribute to Keir Starmer. Here are some of their comments.
David Lammy, the deputy PM, said:
double quotation mark With Keir’s leadership, this Labour government brought stability back to our economy, cut NHS waiting lists, improved renters’ rights, began to fix the crisis we inherited in our courts and prisons, reduced small boat crossings, protected young people online, lifted half a million children out of poverty and restored Britain’s standing in the world. He put Britain back at the heart of Europe, stood firmly with Ukraine and rebuilt relationships with our allies.Change promised, change fought for and change delivered. That is Keir Starmer’s legacy, and I am incredibly proud to have played my part in it.
Rachel Reeeves, the chancellor, said:
double quotation mark From taking our party from the worst defeat in modern history, Keir Starmer turned it around and delivered a landslide majority just four years later.That was thanks to the public trusting us on the economy and on security, and thanks to our commitment to investing in every part of our country, in our public services and rebalancing the economy so it works for working people.
Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, said:
double quotation mark Keir Starmer led our party from the brink, back to power. He won a landslide victory, which few in our party’s history have done before.That achievement will never be forgotten. In office, he put us on the path to the change we promised at the last election. A devoted and dedicated public servant, we owe him our deepest thanks.
Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, said:
double quotation mark Keir Starmer led the Labour Party from one of our worst defeats in history in 2019 to one of our most decisive election victories five years later. All the things this Labour Government has done and will do in the future to build a fairer, stronger country are only possible because of what Keir has done over the last six years
Angela Rayner, the former deputy PM, said:
double quotation mark I know just how hard it is to both hold and leave office, not just on those who held it but all those close to them too, as Keir rightly acknowledged today. He spoke with dignity and duty, and my thoughts are with him and his family.I was proud to serve as Deputy as he led our party into government. History will remember not just the challenges he faced but the achievements he oversaw. I pay tribute to his record of dedicated public service.
Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, said:
double quotation mark Keir Starmer can be immensely proud of his achievements in bringing Labour back to power and leading two years in Government to make Britain a fairer, stronger country.Today’s statement showed the great dignity and integrity that is the mark of the man.
John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, paid tribute to Keir Starmer. In a statement, he said:
double quotation mark On a personal level, I wish the prime minister and his family well.Leadership is tough, and can make extraordinary demands both on the leader and their families. Sir Keir Starmer has made the right decision. It was past time for him to face reality and the fact he now has allows some hope that things can change.
But Swinney also said the government needed not just “a change of personnel”, but “a fundamental change of direction”.
Corbyn’s Your Party says Starmer ‘failed to stand up for working people, criminalised protest and aided Israel’s crimes in Gaza’
Your Party, the leftwing party set up by Jeremy Corbyn and others after Corbyn was expelled from Labour, has issued this statement about Keir Starmer.
double quotation mark Keir Starmer’s resignation is the inevitable result of a leadership that abandoned the people Labour was founded to represent.He failed to stand up for working people, criminalised the right to protest, and aided Israel’s crimes in Gaza.
But this is about more than one leader. Whether Labour turns to Andy Burnham or anyone else, Westminster politics remains broken.
Replacing one leader with another will not fix a political establishment that is increasingly disconnected from the lives of ordinary people. Britain needs a new political movement to put power in the hands of people and offer a genuine alternative to a system that has failed the working class for far too long.
UPDATE: Jeremy Corbyn has issued his own statement. He said:
double quotation mark Keir Starmer could have ended child poverty, homelessness and the grotesque levels of inequality in this country.Instead, he abandoned those in need, destroyed our civil liberties and facilitated genocide in Gaza.
That is how this Prime Minister will be remembered – and that is the legacy of moral and political bankruptcy he leaves behind.
The crises in our society are not going away. Neither are we – and we will keep fighting for a more equal, peaceful and dignified society for all.
Al Carns, who only became a Labour MP in 2024 and who resigned as armed forces minister recently over his opposition to the defence investment plan, posted this on social media this morning.
double quotation mark Keir has done the right thing. It took courage to make that decision and I respect him for it.The Labour party now has an important job to do. The country is watching to see if we can get our act together and focus on the work we were elected to do. That’s where my focus is now.
In recent weeks Carns has been, not very subtly, promoting his credentials as a potential Labour leader – even though this was not seen as a serious bid and there seemed to be no chance of his getting the 81 backers he would need to be a candidate. The line in his statement saying “that’s where my focus is now” implies those ambitions have now been shelved.
Von der Leyen thanks Starmer, saying ‘European and Ukrainian security stronger because of you’
Jakub Krupa
Jakub Krupa writes the Guardian’s Europe live blog.
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, has thanked Keir Starmer for his work with the EU on strengthening the European and Ukrainian security. In a post responding to his resignation announcement, she said:
double quotation mark It can take many leaders years to grow into the statesman you became in just two years.European and Ukrainian security is stronger because of you.
Thank you, dear Keir.
Former Czech prime minister Petr Fiala also paid tribute to Starmer for his “clear and principled support for Ukraine”, helping to unlock “the new level of cooperation between the UK and the EU”. He said:
double quotation mark Today, rational and decent politicians face an increasingly difficult environment. Starmer moved the Labour Party towards the political centre and strengthened the United Kingdom’s position abroad. In the end, it was not enough.
Streeting says Burnham committed to ‘inclusive party that draws on best of our political traditions’
Here is the key extract from Wes Streeting’s statement this morning. (See 11.21am.)
double quotation mark I left the government because we were losing the fight to nationalists in every corner of the country. I have spent the weeks since speaking to our former councillors, activists and voters in place we lost – to listen and learn from them.I’ve also been setting out ideas to change our country: a plan for Britain to grow again and grow together, with a progressive capitalism focused on wealth creation as much as wealth distribution; to lead the world in the fourth industrial revolution and protect people from its risks; to modernise our public services; to give Britain energy security; to build stronger alliances with democracies around the world and a new special relationship with Europe; and to change the culture of our party so that it is more inclusive and open to ideas.
Having spoken at length with Andy in recent days, I’m convinced that there is a place for those ideas under his leadership; that he is committed to building an inclusive party that draws on the best of our political traditions; and that he can win the fight of our lives against the forces of nationalism.
We could spend the summer exaggerating small differences, or we can roll up our sleeves and help him to deliver the change our Party and our country needs. That is the choice that I am making and I hope that everyone else will back Andy, too.
We were elected change our country, to show that politics can be a force for good, and to spread opportunity for everyone. With Andy, we still can.
Andy Burnham has been getting on his train for the journey to London. He is getting a lot of support from wellwishers.
Streeting says he won’t challenge for leadership, suggesting Burnham on course to become PM without contest
Wes Streeting has posted this on social media. He confirms that he won’t stand as a candidate for the Labour leadership. He says that he a contest where candidates spent the summer “exaggerating small differences” would not be good for the party or the country, and he says that, having spoken to Burnham, he is confident that that there is “a place” for the policies he has been advocating under a Burnham premiership.
This means it is now very, very likely that Burnham will be PM be mid July. It is conceivable that another candidate may come forward. But, apart from Streeting, no one else has publicly signalled an intention to stand, and with Burnham now a shoo-in, it is hard to imagine any other MP getting the support they would need to be a candidate.
Burnham confirms he will be candidate to replace Starmer, saying transition should be ‘positive process of renewal’
Andy Burnham has confirmed that he will stand as a candidate to replace Keir Starmer. He says he will give Britain “stability, seriousness and a continued focus on the issues that matter most”. And he says he wants the transition to be “a positive process of renewal”.
double quotation mark Keir has given huge service to our country and I want to thank him for his leadership and dedication during such a challenging period.His decision marks the beginning of a transition and it is important that this process is conducted in an orderly and responsible way. I will put myself forward as part of this process.
The country expects stability, seriousness and a continued focus on the issues that matter most and that is what it will get.
As we move forward, our priority must be to work together to get the country back to where we all want it to be. People want to see progress on economic growth, cost of living, public services, housing and opportunities for the next generation. Political change should never distract from the responsibility to improve people’s lives.
The Labour movement has always been at its strongest when it looks forward with confidence and purpose. This is what we will do from here and we will make sure this transition is a positive process of renewal for our party and our country.
Burnham does not make any reference to a leadership election happening, and his reference to the “transition” implies he does not expect a contest to happen.
