Wes Streeting Claims MP Backing for PM Contest as Thursday By-Election Looms

Q: Can a single by-election win make a popular mayor the UK's next prime minister?

No. A single by-election win cannot by itself make Andy Burnham prime minister, but it could be the decisive step that makes him eligible and politically hard to stop. Under Labour’s rules, any leadership candidate must be a sitting MP and must secure nominations from 20% of Labour MPs, currently 81. Burnham is not in Parliament now, so winning the Makerfield by-election is essential if he wants to enter a leadership race. Without that win, he cannot formally stand. Even if he wins, several further steps are needed. Keir Starmer would still have to resign, set a timetable for departure, or be forced into a contest. Burnham would then need enough MP nominations to get on the ballot. After that, Labour members and affiliated supporters would choose the leader under the party’s one-member-one-vote system. Only if Burnham won that contest and Labour remained in government would he become prime minister. What the by-election can do is change the political balance quickly. Burnham is already the favourite among many Labour members, and polling suggests he is far stronger with the party base than Wes Streeting. A Makerfield victory would return him to Westminster with momentum, legitimacy and a claim that he can reconnect Labour with voters after the party’s heavy local election losses. So the by-election is not a shortcut to Downing Street. It is the gateway. If Burnham loses, his path is likely blocked. If he wins, he becomes a serious and immediate contender.

Q: With rivals circling and his party in revolt, can Prime Minister Starmer survive the week?

Yes — probably for this week, but only just. Starmer is under severe pressure, with around 80 to 90 Labour MPs publicly urging him to go, junior ministers resigning, and Wes Streeting saying he has the 81 MP nominations needed to run. But Streeting has also said he does not want to trigger the contest immediately and would prefer Starmer to set a departure timetable after Thursday’s Makerfield by-election. That makes an instant removal unlikely. The key reason Starmer is likely to survive the week is procedural as much as political. Even if a formal challenge were launched, Labour’s rules mean a leadership contest would take weeks, not days. Starmer is also refusing to quit, saying he will “fight on,” and more than 150 Labour MPs have reportedly signed a letter warning against a contest. The real danger point is Thursday’s by-election. If Andy Burnham wins Makerfield, he becomes eligible to enter a leadership race and the pressure on Starmer will intensify sharply. Burnham is the preferred choice of many Labour members and is widely seen as the strongest alternative. If he loses, the anti-Starmer camp loses its most credible standard-bearer and the immediate threat eases. So the immediate answer is that Starmer is likely to remain prime minister through the week. But survival would not mean recovery. If Burnham wins and Streeting follows through next week, Starmer could still be heading toward a leadership battle that he may struggle to contain.

3 articles · Updated · POLITICO Europe · Jun 16

Wes Streeting said he has enough Labour MP support to enter a race to replace Keir Starmer as Britain’s next prime minister.
Tuesday’s intervention was aimed at forcing a “genuine contest” rather than an uncontested handover to Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor seen as favorite if he wins Thursday’s key parliamentary by-election.
Streeting said he will not trigger the leadership battle himself, instead urging Starmer to set a timetable for his own departure after the by-election result.
The stance leaves Thursday’s vote as the immediate hinge for Labour’s succession fight, with Burnham’s expected candidacy shaping pressure on Starmer’s future in Downing Street.