With British Prime Minister Keir Starmer choosing to push through head-on despite internal pressure to step down, the British Labor Party's next power alignment is stirring. Starmer shot back, saying, "If you want to challenge me, do it formally," but the number of Labor Party lawmakers who have publicly called for his resignation has already reached 100.
CNN in the United States on the 12th (local time) spotlighted the figures being mentioned for "post-Starmer." In British politics, speculation is already rife over the field of next prime ministerial contenders. However, no one has yet officially declared a bid for the leadership. To run in the British Labor Party leadership race, a candidate must secure the support of 81 members of Parliament, which is one-fifth of Labor Party MPs. The assessment is that only a small number are likely to meet this threshold at present.
◇ Wes Streeting
The first name raised is Health Minister Wes Streeting, 43. While at the University of Cambridge, he repeatedly expressed admiration for the Tony Blair government, and he has led reform of the National Health Service (NHS), emphasizing a strongly market-friendly reform agenda. His remark, "The NHS will die if it is not modernized," is emblematic. Streeting, who once left the Labor Party over its support for the Iraq War, is seen as having inherited so-called "Blairism" in the NHS reform process, stressing public-private partnership and technological innovation.
CNN said of Streeting, "He has long been considered the Labor Party's 'moderate future standard-bearer,' and is regarded as one of the government's most skilled communicators." However, his close ties to Labor Party elder Peter Mandelson, who recently stepped down as British ambassador to the United States amid controversy over links to Jeffrey Epstein, are cited as a weakness.
◇ Andy Burnham
Among the party's left wing and lawmakers with local bases, many also view Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, 56, as an alternative. CNN reported, "Within the Labor Party, those calling for a 'rapid leadership change' support Minister Streeting, while those who want an 'orderly transfer of power' prefer Mayor Burnham."
Mayor Burnham is putting forward the so-called "Manchesterism," which emphasizes expanding public services and balanced regional development. It is assessed as an "aspirational socialism" model that combines market-friendly policies with stronger welfare. Thanks to this line, Burnham is currently regarded as one of the most popular politicians in Britain. There is also an assessment that he has grown Manchester into one of Britain's top growth cities.
But the fact that he is not currently a member of Parliament is a fatal weakness. Because he is a local government head, he cannot immediately run in the Labor Party leadership election. Mayor Burnham hoped to run in a by-election for a parliamentary seat in the Manchester area this year, but it reportedly fell through due to opposition from the Labor Party leadership. In political circles, there was also an interpretation that Starmer's side was checking a potential rival.
In an interview last year, he also stirred controversy by saying that "Britain must move beyond being beholden to the bond market." Right after the remark, U.K. Government Bonds yields spiked, drawing criticism that it stoked market anxiety.
◇ Angela Rayner
Angela Rayner, 46, the former deputy prime minister who drew attention with the narrative of a "working-class woman politician," is also cited as a potential contender. With her unpretentious and direct speaking style, she is popular among younger Labor Party supporters and voters with traditional socialist leanings.
Growing up in poverty and becoming a mother at 16, she entered politics after working as an elder care worker and a trade union activist. Rayner has said multiple times that union activity led her into politics.
As deputy prime minister and dwellings minister, Rayner led many of the Labor Party's core policies. Expanding housing supply, raising the minimum wage, tenant protection policies, and a bill to curb "exploitative" zero-hour contracts are emblematic. These bills are slated to take effect next year.
However, she resigned as deputy prime minister last year over controversy that she had not properly paid taxes related to a vacation home on England's south coast. She explained that it was a simple mistake and due to bad legal advice, but there are predictions that the unresolved tax issue could weigh on a future leadership bid.
◇ Dark horses
Others being mentioned as potential contenders include Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, 45, who oversees illegal immigration enforcement policy, and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, a former Labor Party leader. Miliband, in particular, is said to enjoy strong support among core Labor Party members with heightened climate consciousness.
In British politics, the view is that cracks in the Starmer system go beyond a simple contest of personalities and amount to a struggle over the Labor Party's direction. The party is increasingly divided over whether to maintain Blair-style centrist expansion or shift toward stronger welfare and redistribution. Although no one has officially declared a leadership bid yet, with public calls for resignation continuing, the assessment is that an internal power realignment within the Labor Party has effectively begun.