Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Streeting Resigns from Cabinet, Leadership in Question
The rebellion in the British Labour Party continues to smolder with the resignation of the Health Secretary Wes Streeting. Mr. Streeting is now the standard-bearer of those who want Sir Keir Starmer out as Prime Minister, but it is unclear if he is actually going to challenge the PM or if someone else will do so. The longer this goes on, the more likely it is to permanently damage the Labour Party. Despite having a majority of about 170, the Labour Party can see out this parliament, but it appears a good 100 of them have lost their nerve. At this stage, though, it is hard to see how the rebels can win barring a blunder by the PM. Of course, this PM is not the most politically adept.
In order to spark a leadership challenge, a candidate must have 81 MPs backing said candidate in writing. Mr. Streeting probably has more than that because one always must allow for last minute cowardice, and he would not have resigned if he did not have the numbers. Yet he has not produced the names, leading to speculation that he either does not have the numbers or he is trying to ease the PM out while avoiding a fight.
In a related development, former Deputy PM Angela Rayner has received notice from His Majesty's Revenue and Customs that her payment of 40,000 quid in back taxes owed on a real estate deal has settled the matter. That was what forced her out of the DPM job, and now, she is free to enter the fray. One is not sure if she has 81 backers.
Meanwhile, Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham is trying to find a way back into the House of Commons, as only an MP can serve as PM (technically a member of Lords could be as well, but that is improbable). Rumors abounded last night that an MP from the Manchester area would resign, forcing a by-election that Mr. Burnham could win. No MP has said publicly that they would resign. Moreover, if the writ dropped today to start a by-election campaign, the leadership crisis would go on another 3-4 weeks while the campaign happened. That would be bad for just about everyone but the opposition.
The rebels are a bit better off than they were on Monday because they now have a potential candidate. They are a bit worse off because they might have 3 candidates: Messrs. Streeting and Burnham and Ms. Rayner.
The way the party constitution has set things up, any MP with 81 backers can challege the PM, and mathematically as many as 4 candidates plus the PM could be in the race; Labour has 403 seats in the House leaving it two short of making 5 possible.
After securing 81 backers in the PLP, PoliticsHome.com says:
The candidates must then secure nominations from five per cent of Constituency Labour Parties or three affiliates comprising five per cent of Labour's affiliated membership (including two trade unions).
The final stage is a vote among party members and affiliates. An alternative vote system -- also known as a preferential ballot -- is used in which the selectorate rank their preferred candidates. Voters only have one vote. Votes are then redistributed by ranking until one candidate receives over 50 per cent of the vote; the candidate that reaches the threshold first wins the leadership contest, becoming Labour leader and prime minister of the United Kingdom.
Four times previously, the Labour Party has used this system to find a new leader, and they have ranged in duration from 13 weeks to 19 weeks. If anyone announces they have 81 MPs, Labour will spend the summer navel gazing about leadership rather than governing. This will make them look even worse.
The two winners here will be Reform, which will form the next government perhaps with Tory support, and the Greens, who could become rivals to Labour as the official opposition. It would not matter who wins the fight. The fight is what will undo this Labour government.
© Copyright 2026 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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