- Talk of replacing Keir Starmer as Labour leader has emerged amid resignations and sackings
- Starmer faces criticism but lacks a credible successor within the Labour Party currently
- Notable potential replacements face obstacles including lack of parliamentary support or scandals
Talk of replacing Prime Minister Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party has spilled into the open, but the lack of a plausible replacement may keep the rebels at bay for now.
Plots against Starmer have dominated the headlines in Britain following the messy departures of his deputy prime minister, ambassador to the US and, on Monday, his strategy chief. The resignations and sackings have marred the prime minister's efforts to launch "phase two" of his government after a dramatic reshuffle earlier this month aimed at focusing on the delivering change that voters expected when they catapulted Labour into power 14 months ago.
That's emboldened Starmer's long-time critics within Labour, with Member of Parliament Richard Burgon telling broadcasters on Monday that it was "inevitable" the premier would be forced out if he didn't change course. The problem with such predictions, Starmer's allies say, is that the dissents currently lack a viable successor.
"If there is anyone out there who thinks they could do the incredibly difficult job of being a Labour PM better than Keir, they really ought to put up or shut up," MP Luke Akehurst said. "I suspect the reality is that people are undermining him for the sake of undermining him and they don't actually have a credible alternative."
Labour MPs said 10 Downing St. spent the weekend trying to shore up support among ministers and backbenchers, after the twin departures of former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and ex-Ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson. Over recent days, the premier has contended with near daily reports of plots to remove him, speculation that stirs memories of the turbulence under previous Conservative administrations.
Several Labour MPs who spoke to Bloomberg said that talk of replacing Starmer was premature, although they acknowledged that some in the party's left and so-called soft left were trying to speed the downfall of a leader who has pushed a more centrist agenda. All argued there was no obvious candidate to succeed him and that Labour's leadership rules meant it was extremely difficult to remove the incumbent.
"The focus here should be about delivering for the British people who sent us here," said Chris Curtis, a Labour MP who is chair of the pro-Starmer Labour Growth Group. "All this back and forth about who has the top job risks repeating the navel gazing that led the Tories into a spiral of endless chaos."
In the immediate term, there is no obvious successor. While Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham's name has been floated in the newspapers, he's not an MP and several lawmakers said privately that there wasn't an easy route for him to return to Westminster. It also wasn't clear he'd have the backing of the parliamentary party, they said.
Another oft-mentioned replacement, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, is seen as vulnerable to a fracturing of the left-leaning vote in his Ilford North constituency. That means he may have to relocate to put himself in a position to lead the party through a general election.
Although Rayner was seen as Starmer's main rival from the left, the recent tax scandal that forced her to resign has thrown her political future into doubt. Louise Haigh, another possible candidate from the left, had her own personal scandal last year.
Former Labour leader Ed Miliband, another name speculated in the media, will have to overcome his previous election failure in 2015. Cabinet member Lisa Nandy was seen a rising star in the past, but since failed to reach the top of politics. Others such as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson remain unproven at a senior level.
Still, Starmer's supporters in the party concede that he can ill-afford any further setbacks that could prompt critics to coalesce around a successor. One said it was a statement of the obvious to say Starmer needed to turn things around before a set of local elections next May, including votes for control of the devolved governments in Scotland and Wales.
Another said that Starmer must ramp up his engagement with Labour MPs. They warned that any new blow-up in the coming weeks on the scale of the Mandelson departure would put his position in jeopardy - something that will be concerning No. 10 with President Donald Trump jetting in on Tuesday for a three-day visit.
Another ally suggested he would unveil some policy offerings in the coming weeks, including at Labour's annual convention in Liverpool at the end of the month, that could win back some support on areas such as lifting restrictions on child benefits and boosting rail projects in the north of England. That was where Labour's focus should be, they added, warning that talk of regicide would only serve to put right-wing populist leader Nigel Farage in Downing Street as he could argue any successor to Starmer didn't have an electoral mandate.
Starmer has time, but he needs to materially improve his performance to win back his party and then the public, another backer said. Several lawmakers told Bloomberg that Chancellor Rachel Reeves' budget in November was the pivotal moment. If it lands well, then the government's fortunes could improve, one said, but could just the same put Starmer's future in doubt if it goes poorly.
"We are now into at least the fourth year of this new trend, where the solution to deep flaws with getting things done in the British system is to reach for a shiny new leader," said James Johnson of the pollster JL Partners. The lesson Labour should learn from their Tory predecessors' changes of prime minister is that the new leader "invariably disappoints further," Johnson said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
