Keir Starmer has faced calls for his resignation in the past days (Image: Getty)
Labour rebels are reportedly considering John Healey, the Defence Secretary, as a “unity candidate” to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the leadership. Support is growing among backbenchers who believe Mr Healey could attract votes from both the right and left wings of the party.
Some moderates view Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, as too “toxic” to lead, especially after publishing his WhatsApp exchanges with Lord Mandelson prior to the conculsion of a police investigation. Meanwhile, allies of Angela Rayner acknowledge that her chances of mounting a leadership challenge are complicated by an ongoing HMRC investigation into her tax affairs. It comes amid internal calls for Labour to chart a new course, following the resignation of Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir’s chief of staff, who quit this month over the Mandelson affair.
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UK Defence Secretary John Healey in Ukraine (Image: Getty)
The Prime Minister also lost his director of communications and faced public criticism from Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, in what many view as the most difficult week of his political career.
On Saturday, the party’s largest union backers and 25 backbench MPs accused Sir Keir of pursuing a “narrow factional agenda”, The Telegraph reported. They argued that this approach is becoming “increasingly unpopular with the public” and urged Labour to “work together to strengthen our democracy and reverse this damaging behaviour”.
Of Mr Streeting, one Labour MP said: “Traditionally, you would have thought he was the champion of the hard-line moderate but he has p—ed off the Keir loyalists by allegedly plotting all the time. He has p—ed off everyone who is pro-Israel and p—ed off everyone who is around Rachel Reeves. So it is not really ideal.”
In his WhatsApp messages with Lord Mandelson, Mr Streeting reportedly criticised Labour’s economic approach, stating the party had “no growth strategy at all”. Observers suggested these remarks were at odds with the official position of the Labour government.
The PM remains under serious pressure despite narrowly surviving a narrow scare last week (Image: Getty)
For Labour’s Left, questions remain over Ms Rayner’s ability to seize control. She resigned as housing secretary and deputy prime minister last year after errors were found in her stamp duty payments on a second home. As a result, many on both the moderate and soft Left wings now see Mr Healey as a stronger contender.
One source told The Telegraph: “He is politically astute, he has gravitas. He has been operating under the radar for literally decades. And he isn’t divisive.”
This comes as on Saturday night, five leading trade union bosses and 25 MPs criticised Sir Keir for imposing a “narrow, factional agenda” on Labour. In a joint statement, they said that Sir Keir is “increasingly unpopular with the public”.
To complicate things further, even loyalists believe the PM’s days are soon to be over, pointing out his weak grip on the party.
Mr Healey’s spokesman stressed his continued support for the Prime Minister, quoting the Defence Secretary: “The British public gave Keir a huge mandate only 18 months ago. They wanted a Labour Government. They want us to deliver the change we promised. They expect us to get on with the job. The PM has my fullest support in leading this government and this country.”