Factbox: Top Candidates to Succeed Keir Starmer as UK Prime Minister
By Alistair Smout
LONDON, May 12 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under pressure to resign after more than 80 lawmakers in his Labour Party said he was not the right person to lead the country and win the next national election. He has vowed to stay on as no formal leadership challenge has yet been triggered.
If Labour were to choose a new leader, here is a list of those in the frame to replace Starmer:
Main Contenders for Labour Leadership
Wes Streeting, 43
Current Role and Political Stance
Streeting has served as health and social care minister since Labour came to power in July 2024 - a role that puts him in charge of the state-funded National Health Service with its budget of more than 200 billion pounds.
Streeting is seen as a centrist within the Labour Party, and has advocated fiscal restraint in line with the approach taken by Starmer. He has also supported the government's policy to increase defence funding.
Political Connections and Controversies
Streeting was seen as a protege of Peter Mandelson, the former UK ambassador to the U.S. who was appointed by Starmer and then fired over his links to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Streeting has said he's embarrassed to have known Mandelson but denied that they were close friends.
Achievements and Challenges
In his first year as health minister, he approved a 22% pay rise for resident doctors over two years in a bid to end a standoff over pay. Doctors have since resumed striking.
Background and Personal Life
Streeting has represented a constituency in east London since 2015. The seat is tightly contested and in 2024 he won by just 528 votes, making it vulnerable for the next election.
He describes his upbringing as working class, and he would be Britain's first openly gay prime minister. Born to teenage parents, he has described how his grandfather and grandmother both spent time in jail, with his mum born while his grandmother was in prison.
He attended Cambridge University - an education he says he funded himself with retail jobs - and is a former president of the National Union of Students.
Andy Burnham, 56
Current Role and Political Influence
Burnham is the mayor of Manchester in northern England, and one of Labour's most high-profile politicians.
He is currently unable to stand in any leadership challenge because he is not a member of parliament but he has made recent efforts to return.
Recent Political Developments
In January he was blocked from running for a seat in the House of Commons by Labour's National Executive Committee. His supporters, who tend to come from the left of the party, accused Starmer and allies of keeping out a potential leadership rival.
Previous Experience and Economic Views
Burnham was briefly Britain's deputy finance minister in former Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government in the 2000s, and has run twice to be the party's leader, including losing heavily to left-wing veteran Jeremy Corbyn in 2015.
He became Manchester mayor in 2017 but has remained an influential figure for some centre-left groups within Labour, particularly those critical of Starmer's more centrist stance.
Investor Relations
He has tried to reassure investors that they would be safe under his economic vision after he was quoted as saying Britain needed to stop being "in hock to the bond market". He said his comments were misinterpreted.
Angela Rayner, 46
Political Career and Recent Controversies
One of the party's most recognisable figures, Rayner stepped down from her role as deputy prime minister, deputy Labour Party leader and housing secretary in 2025 after admitting she had unintentionally underpaid taxes on a property purchase and was found to have breached the ministerial code of conduct.
The matter is yet to be fully resolved with authorities, hindering any potential leadership bid. Recently she has called for Burnham's return to parliament, which may signal she will not run herself.
Political Views and Achievements
She is seen as closer to the party's left-wing, trade union roots than the centrist Starmer. When in office she championed legislation that expanded workers' rights, backed minimum wage increases and called for higher public investment.
While publicly falling in line with Labour's calls for fiscal restraint, media reports in May 2025, when she was still a minister, said she had argued for higher taxes, and since leaving government has called for "bold action" to shield Britons from the effects of the Iran war.
Background and Appeal
Rayner grew up in relative poverty on a social housing estate in the town of Stockport, near Manchester. A teenage mother, she worked as a care worker and trade union official before entering parliament in 2015.
She credits this background for giving her authentic insight into the struggles faced by the poorest Britons, and is regarded by many in Labour as a strong communicator whose background means she can reach parts of the party that Starmer - a Londoner and former human rights lawyer - cannot.
Ed Miliband, 56
Previous Leadership and Current Role
Energy Minister Miliband is one of Starmer's most senior cabinet ministers who has been linked to a return to lead the party after an earlier 2010-2015 stint in opposition. He has said that experience "inoculated" him against wanting to do it again.
Policy Focus and Political History
He has been the main proponent in government of pursuing net zero energy policies.
He previously served in government from 2006 to 2010 under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and defeated both his brother David and Burnham in the 2010 leadership election, offering a more centre-left vision for the party than his centrist brother.
Shabana Mahmood, 45
Career Progression and Historic Firsts
A lawmaker since 2010, Mahmood has risen rapidly through the ministerial ranks and was promoted to home secretary in September after serving as justice minister. She is the first Muslim woman to hold either role.
Political Stance and Criticism
Seen as on the right of the party, she has driven a tougher stance on immigration which she says is key to facing down the right-wing Reform UK party and addressing voters' concerns on immigration.
However, critics have said her tough stance means Labour is losing the sup
