"Wes Streeting has quit the cabinet as health secretary and called on Keir Starmer to resign as prime minister, saying there should now be a leadership contest. Streeting, who is on the party's right, has long been gathering support for a challenge and has spent the week gathering names of MPs for his nomination. But in his letter to Starmer, Streeting did not launch his own challenge and instead called for the prime minister to resign and allow a formal leadership contest to take place with a broad range of candidates, a suggestion he should allow the Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to fight the contest."
"He criticised Starmer's determination to stay, saying your heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices diminishes our politics. It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election and that Labour MPs and Labour Unions want the debate about what comes next to be a battle of ideas, not of personalities or petty factionalism, he said. It needs to be broad, and it needs the best possible field of candidates. I support that approach and I hope that you will facilitate this."
"Streeting told the prime minister in their meeting on Tuesday that he had lost confidence in him. His close ministerial allies Jess Phillips, Zubir Ahmed and Alex Davies-Jones stood down on Tuesday, calling for Starmer to resign. Several of Streeting's close allies, including Melanie Ward and his former ministerial aide Joe Morris as well as the backbenchers Chris Curtis, Alan Gemmel and Jas Athwal, have called for Starmer to go."
"If he did not resign, Starmer would automatically be on the ballot paper in any contest, and his allies have made it clear that he would fight any attempt to dislodge him. Any race would mark the first time a challenger has attempted to dislodge a sitting Labour prime minister. The challenge from Streeting comes as Starmer faces record-low popularity ratings, just two years after he came into office with a historic majority."
Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary and called for Keir Starmer to step down as prime minister, arguing that a formal leadership contest should follow. Streeting said Starmer’s approach to dissenting voices has weakened politics and that Starmer will not lead Labour into the next general election. He urged a debate focused on ideas rather than personalities or factionalism, and he supported a wide field of candidates, including Andy Burnham. Streeting said he had lost confidence in Starmer after a meeting. Several of Streeting’s close allies also stood down and called for Starmer to resign. If Starmer did not resign, he would be automatically included in any ballot, and allies indicated he would be challenged only through a contest. The situation arises amid record-low popularity ratings for Starmer.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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