Wes Streeting Declares Bid for Labour Leadership

Overview

• Streeting, who quit as health secretary Thursday, said Keir Starmer would not lead Labour into the next general election and described a lack of vision at the top.
• Starmer says he will not resign and remains in office as prime minister, even as four junior ministers stepped down this week and 86 Labour MPs publicly urged him to go.
• Party rules require 81 Labour MPs to nominate a challenger before a leadership election can begin, and Streeting says he will run but has not yet launched a formal contest.
• Streeting signaled he wants a full field that could include Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who is seeking a Commons seat in a by-election enabled by MP Josh Simons’s resignation.
• The upheaval follows heavy Labour losses in the May 7 local elections and gains for Reform UK, and business leaders warn the uncertainty could raise borrowing costs and unsettle investment.