Overview
- Jess Phillips told ITV she would not "bet against" Keir Starmer surviving and likened his resilience to a "cockroach," comments that followed her recent resignation as safeguarding minister.
- Phillips has publicly backed Wes Streeting and wrote in her resignation that Starmer is a good man but that avoiding argument has stalled progress.
- Starmer has refused to quit and has responded with a string of policy announcements and vows to campaign for activists if rivals try to oust him.
- A leadership contest is effectively under way with Streeting prominent and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham widely viewed as a possible challenger if he wins the Makerfield by-election and returns to the Commons.
- Senior figures, unions, and some ministers are reported to be positioning for a change of leadership, raising the prospect of a prolonged intra‑party power struggle and ministerial reshuffles.