Health secretary poised to make leadership bid after May local elections to pre-empt a potential challenge from rival Rayner, MPs close to him say
Allies of Wes Streeting expect him to try to depose Keir Starmer within weeks, despite the health secretary insisting he backs the prime minister and is not intending to move against him, the Guardian has been told.
Starmer attempted to regain authority over his party on Tuesday after a tumultuous day in Westminster during which he was denounced by the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and lost his director of communications.
The prime minister said on Tuesday he would “never walk away” from his task of changing the UK, and was bolstered further by public displays of support from both Streeting and the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham.
But MPs who are close to the health secretary insist he still wants to replace Starmer and is willing to stand against him soon after the Gorton and Denton byelection later this month.
