Rival Labour Factions ‘Plotting to Oust Starmer’

Multiple factions inside the Labour Party are seeking to oust Keir Starmer as PM and begin the “orderly transition” to a new leader, it has been reported. 

“There have been conversations about process. When the time comes, and if the numbers are there, a process will be found,” one Labour MP told the Guardian. 

The threat to Starmer comes from factions across the party’s ideological spectrum, with former deputy leader Angela Rayner the bookies’ favourite to succeed Keir Starmer.

Allies of Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, representing the party’s left wing, are calling for a longer transition period. Burnham requires a seat in Parliament before he is able to run for the leadership, having been blocked from standing in the Denton and Gorton byelection by Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) in February.

Meanwhile, supporters of health secretary Wes Streeting, promoted by the party’s right, are believed to be pushing for a much faster timetable for Starmer’s overthrow. 

The PM attempted to quieten talk of his removal over the weekend, responding with a “no” when asked by the Sunday Times if his premiership was over. 

The speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has granted permission for MPs to debate on Tuesday whether Starmer should be referred to the privileges commission over his statements to parliament about the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.

That will likely lead to a vote on an inquiry, which the PM has dismissed as “a desperate political stunt”.

The news comes on the back of overwhelming negativity among the Labour faithful, with more than nine out of 10 (91%) members reporting they are “pessimistic” about the party’s chances in the May local elections, in which Labour is on course for a historically low vote-share, according to polling for LabourList.

Tom Midlane is a freelance journalist.