PM is ‘unpopular’, minister says – as he criticises ‘internal-facing nonsense’

Sir Keir Starmer is “unpopular”, one of his allies in the Cabinet acknowledged amid a gathering race to replace him. But Steve Reed insisted that Labour should avoid the pattern of changing leaders which engulfed the Conservatives. “What we need to do is all of us come together behind the Prime Minister and focus on how we can deliver the change the British public want to see faster,” the Housing Secretary said. Meanwhile, Labour’s deputy leader Lucy Powell will say Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner should all be seen as “key players” in the party in a speech on Friday. Powell will also repeat her support for Burnham’s efforts to return to Parliament after Josh Simons, the MP for Makerfield, said he would stand aside to let the Greater Manchester mayor run for the seat in a by-election. Burnham eyes Westminster return – and Starmer won’t block him Powell ‘confident’ Burnham will have support of majority in Labour Sort: May 15, 2026 8:44 amOpinion: Burnham finds a seat, Streeting drops a gauntlet – yet still Starmer clings on By quitting, Streeting is daring Rayner to accept a job in Starmer’s dying administration. He’s also fronting up Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, telling him to put his money where his mouth is (Photo: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty)Wes Streeting is nothing but a pragmatist. Beaten into a tactical retreat, he could yet be prime minister. Although the former health secretary’s detractors certainly don’t see it like that.Having concluded that he could no longer work for Sir Keir Starmer, his allies recognised that to topple the Prime Minister would also mean mass resignations from Streeting’s supporters on the Government payroll. It would have brought down the Prime Minister, but could also have toppled the Labour administration – which would have been unforgivable and destructive to his chances of succeeding.Chancellor Rachel Reeves, celebrating economic growth – albeit anaemic growth – on the breakfast media round, only served to emphasise the point that the Government was on thin ice already.Then, there was the King of the North for Streeting to take into account. A groundswell of Labour opinion now has it that Andy Burnham should be allowed a shot at the main prize, with Cabinet ministers making the point that the Mayor of Greater Manchester should be a contender in any future leadership discussions.Angela Rayner had also upset Streeting’s plans when she revealed HM Revenue and Customs – with exquisite timing – had cleared her of any wrongdoing leaving her free to return to Cabinet or remain on the backbenches as a critic of Starmer’s leadership.It was his put up or shut up moment. Faced with an impossible situation, Streeting opted for Plan B – to resign. He went at lunchtime when it became clear he could not last the day as a senior member in Starmer’s Government.“Where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift. This was underscored by your speech on Monday. Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords,” Streeting wrote in his resignation letter.Those who dislike Streeting had watched his team’s machinations on Thursday morning with barely-disguised schadenfreude as they speculated he did not have the required 81 MPs to challenge Starmer. “He’s f**ked it,” one Cabinet aide said, succinctly.Read more here. May 15, 2026 8:21 amThe Chancellor who City insiders would fear the most By Chris BlackhurstKeir Starmer with Rachel Reeves and Gordon Brown after announcing the latter as his Special Envoy earlier this weekWhile Keir Starmer clings on to his premiership, in the City all eyes are on Chancellor Rachel Reeves. If Starmer goes, it is probable his successor will ditch Reeves in order to change economic policy, and free themselves from Reeves’s fiscal rules, which have limited her room for manoeuvre.If he manages to keep his job it is possible that he ousts Reeves in a reshuffle, in order to have an eye-catching economic reset.“She is the elephant in the room as far as we’re concerned. What happens to her?” one City insider said. “A reshuffle that keeps her in post could not be hailed as a major reset, a refresh, as Starmer would like it to be, without moving her.”A taste of the dangerous financial shifts that could come if Starmer loses his job, or reshuffles Reeves, came last July when borrowing costs surged and the pound fell after Reeves appeared in the Commons in tears – leading to speculation that she was about to resign or be sacked.Changing Chancellor is a drastic measureSimilarly, on Tuesday morning, when speculation that Starmer was about to quit was at its highest, the bond markets again wobbled and the price of borrowing – essentially how much the Government pays to service its debt – hit its highest levels since 1998.This means less money for the government to spend, meaning it has to borrow more, at more expense – a vicious economic circle.The markets like stabilty. But this does not mean that Reeves is universally popular.Nevertheless, ditching the Chancellor would be seen as a drastic measure. Usually the Prime Minister and Chancellor work in tandem – the leader and the keeper of the public purse.In Labour’s case that is doubly so, since Starmer and Reeves performed a double act in the run-up to the general election, gladhanding the UK’s boardrooms and persuading business leaders they could be trusted with the nation’s economic levers.Read more here. May 15, 2026 8:03 amChallenge of Reform shouldn’t be underestimated in Makerfield, says MP North Durham Labour MP Luke Akehurst tells BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning that he thinks party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) will give Burnham a waiver to stand in the Makerfield by-election – but he warns that the challenge of winning the seat against Reform should not be underestimated.Akehurst sits on the NEC but he says he will not be one of the decision makers on whether Burnham can stand as the Labour candidate for the seat.“I don’t want to pre-judge [the NEC’s] decision, but everything I’m hearing suggests they’re going to give him a waiver to allow him to stand even though he’s a metro mayor,” Akehurst says.“My sense is things have moved on from the previous by-election in Gorton and Denton and that the obstacles to [Burnham] running are not there if the local party members want to pick him.”The “bigger question”, Akehurst continues, is whether he can win against Reform in this area.“I don’t underestimate the scale of the task for the Labour party even with a very high profile candidate that’s the local mayor to hold that seat.”Akehurst adds that he doesn’t think anyone else will declare a leadership challenge until the by-election has taken place. May 15, 2026 8:00 amMinister hits out at ‘internal-facing nonsense’ – but says ‘no leadership challenge’ is coming Housing Secretary Steve Reed urged Labour to stick to the “country first, party second” mantra which Sir Keir Starmer said time and again during the general election campaign, amid challenges to the Prime Minister’s leadership.He insisted that there is “no leadership challenge” on the horizon, and criticised “internal-facing nonsense” in the Labour Party. Reed said: “There is no leadership challenge.“Right now, despite the fact that we’re having to talk about this internal-facing nonsense, I’m focused on building the homes this country needs.”The minister added: “Country first, party second was one of the most important things we said in that general election.Steve Reed said there is “no leadership challenge” on the horizon for Sir Keir Starmer (Photo: AP)“Now at this very difficult moment, we have to make sure we stick to that.”The senior Cabinet minister earlier warned Labour MPs against triggering a leadership contest, telling Sky News: “You don’t have to imagine what would happen, because we just have to look back at what the Conservatives did.“I think over the eight years between 2016 and 2024 we had nine education secretaries, seven chancellors of the exchequer, and five prime ministers, and it led to their worst election result in 200 years.“Last week we did badly. The Conservatives went further back from that dreadful general election result. Do we really want that to be our future?“We’re in power. We were sent here by the British public to deliver change. We promised the fastest growing economy in the G7, this first quarter this year. We’ve done it. We promised to cut NHS waiting lists. Yesterday we saw the biggest monthly fall for 18 years. “Why would we throw that away to engage in the chaos that consumed the Conservatives?” May 15, 2026 7:54 amNew Health Secretary arrives at No 10 James Murray, who was appointed as Health Secretary in the wake of Wes Streeting’s resignation yesterday, has been spotted arriving at Downing Street this morning.Murray, who previously served as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, smiled and greeted members of the press, but did not answer questions about Sir Keir Starmer’s future.Murray left 10 Downing Street after around 25 minutes.The Labour MP for Northamptom North, Lucy Rigby, was appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury after Murray took on the role of Health Secretary.James Murray was appointed Health Secretary after the resignation of Wes Streeting (Photo: Getty Images)Health Secretary James Murray walks on Downing Street in London (Photo: Getty Images) May 15, 2026 7:39 amRayner open to Cabinet return – but still feels ‘bitter’ over treatment from No 10 By Caroline Wheeler and Chloe ChaplainAngela Rayner has not ruled out a return to the Cabinet, according to allies.Sources close to the former deputy prime minister said she will give No 10 “a hearing” if they offer her a job in the Cabinet after she resolved her tax affairs. However, they confirmed that no approach had yet been made by Downing Street.Rayner’s allies claim that if she were to return, she would like to become education secretary – a brief she shadowed in opposition and “enjoyed enormously”.Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary this afternoon, but by this evening it was announced by No10, Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray would be his replacement – ruling out the possibility of Rayner landing that job.Angela Rayner said she would give Keir Starmer’s No 10 “a hearing” if she was approached about a return to Cabinet (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP via Getty Images)There has been widespread speculation that the Prime Minister could bring Rayner back to serve in his top team after she was forced to resign over her tax affairs last summer. An option has now become more viable after she was cleared of tax avoidance by HMRC.The Labour MP stepped down as deputy prime minister and housing secretary last September when the independent ethics adviser found she had broken the Ministerial Code after admitting that she had underpaid stamp duty on an £800,000 flat in Hove, which was considered to be her second home.On Thursday, Rayner announced an HMRC investigation had cleared her of any wrongdoing after concluding she had not sought to avoid paying the correct stamp duty on the purchase of the property in 2025.Tap here to read more. May 15, 2026 7:37 amStarmer is ‘unpopular’, Cabinet minister admits Sir Keir Starmer is “unpopular”, one of his allies in the Cabinet acknowledged amid a gathering race to replace him, while insisting Labour should not repeat the pattern of changing leaders which engulfed the Conservatives.Housing Secretary Steve Reed told Sky News: “The Prime Minister is unpopular, but each of the last four prime ministers in turn have been the most unpopular prime minister we’ve ever had.Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Steve Reed leaves 10 Downing Street (Photo: Getty Images)“What happens when you’re the leader of the Government at a time when the public are so angry with the state of our public services and the economy, is it focuses down on that individual.“So we can either copy the Tories, they doom scrolled through leader after leader, five I think, in eight years, prime ministers. It didn’t help them one jot.“What we need to do is all of us come together behind the Prime Minister and focus on how we can deliver the change the British public want to see faster.” May 15, 2026 7:29 amBurnham eyes Westminster return – and Starmer won’t block him Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership was under intense pressure as a Labour MP stood aside to allow Andy Burnham to attempt to return to Parliament and challenge the Prime Minister.The Mayor of Greater Manchester said he wanted to return to Westminster to “make politics work properly for people” after Josh Simons, the Labour MP for Makerfield, said he would stand down so Burnham can “drive the change our country is crying out for”.Sources said Starmer will not seek to block Burnham from becoming Labour’s candidate in the forthcoming by-election, but first the party’s National Executive Committee needs to give him the green light to stand when it meets next week.Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is seen as one of the front-runners in any future Labour leadership race to succeed Sir Keir Starmer (Photo: Justin Tallis/AFP)Earlier on Thursday, Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary, while former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner revealed that she had been cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing over her tax affairs, clearing the path for a potential tilt at the top job.Starmer has faced mounting calls to quit in the wake of Labour’s disastrous local election results last week, prompting speculation his critics within the Cabinet were prepared to tell him it was time to resign.But by lunchtime on Thursday, only Streeting, who was later replaced by former chief secretary to the Treasury James Murray, had quit the Government.However, in doing so, he had not – as some had expected – launched a leadership bid in the process, as he urged Starmer to allow the “best possible field of candidates” to run to replace him in Downing Street.It is still unclear whether Streeting has the support of 81 Labour MPs as needed to launch a formal challenge against the Prime Minister. May 15, 2026 7:26 amPowell ‘confident’ Burnham will have support of majority in Labour Labour’s deputy leader Lucy Powell will say Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner should all be seen as “key players” in the party in a speech on Friday.Powell will also repeat her support for Burnham’s efforts to return to Parliament after Josh Simons, the MP for Makerfield, said he would stand aside to let the Greater Manchester mayor run for the seat in a by-election.She will say she is confident Burnham will have the support of the “vast majority of the party and movement” to make a bid to come back to Westminster.Lucy Powell arrives at Downing Street to attend the weekly cabinet meeting (Photo: Anadolu via Getty Images)Powell was the only member of Labour’s ruling body to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand in a by-election in Gorton and Denton earlier this year, but he was blocked from doing so and the Greens took the seat.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will not seek to block Burnham from standing this time around, it is understood, but it is not yet guaranteed that he will be chosen as the candidate.Powell is expected to tell the Fire Brigades’ Union conference: “The election results last week were deeply painful and difficult for our party, and the aftermath has been unedifying for us all too.“We don’t do hostile takeovers in Labour for a reason.“Keir is the leader, and I warned against bloody internal battles reflecting badly.” May 15, 2026 7:23 amGood morning – and welcome back Welcome back to The i Paper’s politics blog on Friday, 15 May.Sir Keir Starmer has survived another day in Downing Street – but potential leadership rivals are circling.Yesterday, former health secretary Wes Streeting resigned from his Cabinet role, and Labour MP Josh Simons stepped down as the MP for Makerfield, opening the door for the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham to run for a seat.Starmer will not seek to block Burnham from standing this time around, it is understood, but it is not yet guaranteed that he will be chosen as the candidate for Labour.First, the party’s National Executive Committee needs to give him the green light to stand when it meets next week.We’ll have all the latest news and reaction from Westminster throughout the day.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and former health secretary Wes Streeting attend a campaign event at Three Counties Medical School in 2024 (Photo: Getty)