On 22 June, Keir Starmer resigned from his position as Prime Minister of the UK. The announcement came as a result of mounting pressure from within his own party.
Starmer’s resignation follows months of pressure after Labour suffered significant losses in the May local elections. The party lost more than 1,000 council seats across England and lost control of the Welsh Senedd for the first time in nearly three decades.
In the aftermath of the announcement, Wes Streeting posted on his X account that he had ruled himself out of the Labour leadership race and thrown his support behind Andy Burnham.
Wes Streeting, former Health Secretary and MP for Ilford South, resigned from the Government in May after saying he had lost confidence in Starmer’s leadership. He had previously been viewed as a potential contender to succeed him. However, he has now confirmed that he will instead back Andy Burnham, the former Mayor of Greater Manchester, who recently returned to Westminster following a by-election victory in Makerfield.
In his statement, he praised Starmer’s leadership, stating: “Keir Starmer led us to a general election victory that no one thought possible. He kept us out of the war in Iran and has delivered real progress as Prime Minister at home.”
“He has made the right decision to stand down as the leader of the Labour Party that he saved.”
Streeting said he had held extensive discussions with Burnham in recent days and believed the former Greater Manchester mayor was best placed to unite the party and continue delivering Labour’s programme in government.
“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,” he said.
“That is the choice that I am making and I hope that everyone else will back Andy, too.”
He also highlighted ambitions for Britain to lead in emerging technologies, strengthen public services, improve energy security and build closer relationships with European partners.
“We were elected to change our country, to show that politics can be a force for good, and to spread opportunity for everyone,” Streeting said.
“With Andy, we still can.”
Burnham is expected to formally launch his leadership campaign in the coming days as Labour begins the process of selecting a new leader following Starmer’s departure.
