Potential successors if UKPrime Minister Starmer resigns

Pressure is mounting on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign, prompting speculation about who might succeed him as leader of the Labour Party. The winner of any leadership contest will be chosen by party members rather than the general electorate, and none of the potential candidates enjoys universal support within the party.

The most frequently mentioned names are outlined below.

Wes Streeting

The 43‑year‑old health minister has long been tipped as a possible contender, and many MPs urging Starmer to step down back his bid.

Streeting, whose full name is Wesley, was one of the most visible Labour figures during the 2024 election campaign and was praised for his communication skills.

Positioned on the right‑hand side of the Labour Party, he has spoken positively about former prime minister Tony Blair and has expressed a desire to lead the party.

He comes from a working‑class background in east London; both of his parents were teenagers when he was born. He grew up in a flat on a municipal housing estate that he described as “grim” and attended a state school.

Streeting has said his grandfather was an armed robber who knew the notorious Kray Brothers.

After studying at the University of Cambridge, he was elected MP in 2015. As health minister he has criticised striking medics.

He is openly gay and his partner works as a communications adviser.

In a potentially damaging connection, Streeting initially defended Labour grandee Peter Mandelson when Mandelson was removed as US ambassador because of his association with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Streeting has denied being close friends with Mandelson.

Angela Rayner

Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner is popular among Labour’s left‑wing base and is known for her straightforward style.

She warned Starmer before a crucial speech on Monday that many commentators later described as underwhelming.

The Guardian reported that supporters said she was not actively seeking a leadership role but was prepared for the possibility of a contest.

At 46, Rayner is an outlier in a political system long dominated by a ruling class educated at private schools and at Oxford or Cambridge.

She grew up in social housing in northern England, left school without a degree and became a single mother at 16.

A trade unionist before being elected to parliament in 2015, she was chosen as Labour’s deputy leader in 2020.

YouGov ranked her as the second‑most popular Labour politician after regional mayor Andy Burnham, who is also mentioned as a potential challenger.

An outstanding case concerning her tax affairs, which led to her resignation last year, could hinder her prospects.

Rayner has three children, one of whom has a serious disability.

Andy Burnham

Popular Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has long been seen as a possible rival to Starmer, although he has twice failed in leadership contests.

The 56‑year‑old veteran Labour politician, identified with the party’s “soft left”, became an MP in 2001.

He served as health minister under Gordon Brown before leaving parliament in 2017 to become mayor of Greater Manchester, where he earned the nickname “king of the North”.

Burnham was re‑elected mayor most recently in 2024 and says he does not consider himself a Westminster insider.

He grew up in northern England, joined Labour as a teenager and studied at the University of Cambridge.

While an MP, he lost leadership races to Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn.

Burnham has openly opposed Starmer on welfare cuts and warned of a “climate of fear” within the party.

He could not become leader immediately because he would first need to win a seat in the House of Commons through a by‑election.

The Labour Party blocked Burnham from standing in an upcoming by‑election in January after he wrote about his intention to run on X.

Burnham is married to a Dutch‑born woman, has three children and told the Huffington Post that he is “Catholic by upbringing” but “not particularly religious now”.

Other possibilities

Other potential candidates could include current ministers who might serve in a caretaker capacity.

Names being discussed are foreign minister Yvette Cooper, defence minister John Healey, energy minister Ed Miliband and junior armed forces minister Al Carns.

Miliband led the Labour Party in opposition after a contest against his brother David and resigned following the party’s heavy defeat in the 2015 election.

Cooper, 57, has been an MP since 1997 and has served as a minister under both Starmer and Gordon Brown.

Healey, also 57 and an MP since 1997, became defence minister under Starmer.

Carns, a 46‑year‑old former commando, entered parliament in 2024. The Independent noted that some MPs view him as a “left‑field candidate”.

AFP