Starmer rival Streeting set to resign and challenge UK PM

Alex Wickham and Ellen Milligan, Bloomberg News on May 13, 2026

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Health Secretary Wes Streeting is preparing to resign from the U.K. government and challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the leadership, according to his allies.

Streeting, who met Starmer briefly in Downing Street on Wednesday morning, is likely to quit the Cabinet this week and attempt to trigger a leadership contest, they said, requesting anonymity to disclose private deliberations. The Times was first to report the development.

In the event a contest is triggered, allies of Starmer said the premier backed himself to beat Streeting.

In order to successfully trigger a leadership contest, the health secretary needs to secure the support of 81 Labour Members of Parliament. It remains to be seen whether he has the requisite numbers. Backers of Streeting said they remained unsure and expressed concern he could lose a head-to-head contest against the prime minister.

By Wednesday afternoon, there was a push by supporters of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to discourage Starmer from taking that stand. One said that they were encouraging members of the Cabinet and even the prime minister’s own staff to tell him he wouldn’t have enough support from the left of the party, urged him to instead set a timetable for a handover of power that even

A spokesperson for Burnham did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gilts and the pound dropped. The U.K. 10-year yield was steady at 5.10% after earlier falling to 5.05%.

A spokesperson for Streeting did not deny that he was preparing to resign and challenge Starmer. They said he wouldn’t say anything publicly that might distract from King Charles III announcing the government’s legislative agenda in Parliament on Wednesday, which included a bill on healthcare.

A lot also depends on the timing of any contest. If Starmer doesn’t sign up to the months-long timetable for a handover of power, Burnham could be out of the race, since he wouldn’t have time to seek the parliamentary seat he needs before he can properly vie to be leader.

In that case, the so-called soft-left faction of the party that favors Burnham would have to put up a different candidate, potentially former deputy premier Angela Rayner or Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.

One risk of an immediate contest is that it becomes a free-for-all with other candidates such as Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Defence Secretary John Healey and Al Carns, a junior defense minister also standing, MPs said.

Streeting posted on social media on Wednesday morning about the government’s health policy but was not drawn on his intentions. “Lots done, lots to do,” he wrote.

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—With assistance from Joe Mayes.