Wes Streeting quits government – what happens next?

There remains an impasse over the future of the Labour Party (Picture: Metro/Shuttersthock/Getty/PA) ‘Where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift.’ Those were the words penned by Wes Streeting in his devastating resignation letter to Sir Keir Starmer as he stepped down from his post as Health Secretary, urging the Prime Minister to do the same. But as the dust settles after Streeting confirmed his departure earlier today, that vacuum has only deepened. As it stands, we appear to be in the same position as we were on Tuesday. 90 MPs and counting have now called on Keir Starmer to resign, but he has singularly refused to do so. As the impasse continues, and with Streeting seemingly refusing (or being unable) to challenge the Prime Minister to a leadership contest, everyone is asking: what happens next? Follow Metro’s live blog for coverage of Keir Starmer’s future as Prime Minister Everything is changing, all the time Cut through political noise and understand how the Westminster chaos actually affects your life with Metro's politics newsletter Alright, Gov? Sign up here. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Metro spoke to Rohan McWilliam, Director of the Labour History Research Unit at Anglia Ruskin University, and a Professor of Modern British History, to try to make sense of the current state of play. Summing up the situation as it stands, Prof. McWilliam said: ‘We know there is going to be a leadership challenge – just not yet. Wes Streeting has resigned – but not directly challenged Keir Starmer (Picture: Shutterstock) ‘British politics is essentially waiting on Andy Burnham. Streeting’s resignation letter speaks of a leadership contest with the ‘best possible candidates’, which sounds like an attempt to make a deal for a post-Starmer government. ‘At the moment it is far from clear that any MP is going to stand down for Burnham and, if anyone does, it cannot be taken for granted that Burnham would win the subsequent by-election. Starmer is determined to fight on.’ Given that Streeting hasn’t directly challenged the Prime Minister, it has been assumed by those both opposed to him and in favour that he lacks the backing of 81 MPs needed to facilitate that challenge. It feels like we’re all waiting on Andy Burnham (Picture: Reuters) Prof. McWilliam added: ‘The Labour rulebook states that 20% of Labour MPs have to back a challenger (which is 81 members of the current intake). ‘If there is a challenge, Starmer would be a candidate under the rules, unless he resigns. Labour members then vote with a preferential ballot and the candidate who gets 50%, once all preferences are counted, wins.’ For Starmer himself, if he does decide not to continue, there are two options for his resignation – and neither is particularly appealing. Keir Starmer insists that he won’t quit (Picture: Getty) As Prof. McWilliam explained: ‘If Starmer resigns now, there would have to be a replacement within the cabinet. ‘This makes the appointment of a caretaker Prime Minister likely — perhaps a senior figure like Yvette Cooper or John Healey. ‘If he says he will go at the time of the party conference in September (which is thought to favour Andy Burnham) then Starmer becomes a lame duck Prime Minister, and government will all but grind to a halt.’ If this all feels like uncharted territory for the Labour Party in government, that’s because it is. Unlike the Conservatives, with their seemingly endless defenestrations, the Labour party – as Prof. McWilliam points out – ‘does not have a history of regicide.’ Labour don’t tend to cycle through leaders as quickly as the Tories (Picture:Getty Images) ‘There is no Labour equivalent of Boris Johnson or Liz Truss. The closest equivalent would be the attempt to eject Jeremy Corbyn from the leadership after the Brexit referendum, but he was not Prime Minister. ‘Corbyn lost the confidence of his MPs but kept going because he had the support of the party membership at large. ‘There were also challenges to Hugh Gaitskell in 1960 and to Neil Kinnock in 1988, which were seen off.’ More broadly, and as a sign of our increasingly fractured political system, Prof. McWilliam notes: ‘It is worth remembering that it was unusual for Prime Ministers to be challenged before the ejection of Margaret Thatcher in 1990. ‘Since then it has become of a feature of British politics, especially since 2016.’ With Keir Starmer seemingly up for the fight, some have suggested that the Prime Minister might ‘do a John Major’ and announce a contest himself to put the issue to bed once and for all. Who should replaceme Starmer as PM? No one - he should stayCheck Has to be Andy BurnhamCheck Bring back Angela Rayner Check Streeting all the wayCheck Get straight-talking analysis and breakdowns from Westminster with Alright, Gov?, Metro’s award-nominated politics newsletter. On that, Prof. McWilliam sounds a note of caution, adding: ‘I think it is doubtful that Starmer would initiate a leadership contest himself. There is no suggestion Keir Starmer plans to emulate John Major (Picture: Getty) ‘John Major’s standing was damaged by John Redwood’s candidacy even though he won the contest, so for the Prime Minister, the precedents aren’t good. ‘For members, the choice would probably be Starmer, Streeting and Angela Rayner (now cleared over her tax affairs).’ With the atmosphere in Westminster febrile, where we might find ourselves in a day, a week, or even a year, seems increasingly difficult to predict. But there is at least clarity on what happens in the immediate future. For Keir Starmer, that will be small comfort. Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. Share your views in the comments below. Arrow MORE: All the ministers who have quit Keir Starmer’s government so far Arrow MORE: When are digital IDs coming and why are they controversial after King’s Speech update Arrow MORE: Is a hyper-galactic supergroup needed for No 10? Alright Gov Straight-talking analysis from Westminster, straight to your inbox.