British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was fighting for his political survival on Thursday (14 May) after Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned, saying he had “lost confidence” in Starmer’s leadership.
In his resignation letter, Streeting said the U.K. Prime Minister had created a “vacuum” where vision was needed and argued that the unpopularity of Starmer’s government was “a major factor” behind Labour’s heavy losses in elections across England, Wales and Scotland last week.
"It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election and that Labour MPs and Labour Unions want the debate about what comes next to be a battle of ideas, not of personalities or petty factionalism," Streeting said in the letter published on X.
"It needs to be broad, and it needs the best possible field of candidates. I support that approach and I hope that you will facilitate this,” he added.
Streeting is rumoured to be considering a challenge to Starmer for the top job in British politics, and several of his allies have already resigned from the Prime Minister’s government in recent days.
Nearly 100 Labour MPs have called on the Prime Minister to resign following last week’s local elections in England and devolved parliament elections in Wales and Scotland.
Right-wing populists Reform UK and the left-wing Green Party were the major winners in the English local elections.
Under Labour Party rules, a leadership challenger needs the backing of 20% of Labour MPs - currently 81 members as of May 2026 - to trigger an official leadership contest.
On Thursday evening Labour MP Josh Simons said he would resign from his seat in parliament to allow Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham a chance to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer as leader.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is also rumoured to be considering entering a leadership race.
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Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will face leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a runoff of the presidential election later this month, after he exceeded expectations in Sunday's first-round vote with a slight lead over the incumbent.
Russia's health watchdog said on Tuesday that no cases of plague had been detected among anyone who had come into contact with a Siberian plague institute laboratory worker who died last week, and locals said their lives had barely been disrupted.
Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, with Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), appointed as acting oil minister, according to Iranian state media.
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Police fired tear gas at protesters blockading French high schools on Tuesday as students, teachers and parents took to the streets on the biggest day of action in a wave of demonstrations against understaffed and dilapidated classrooms.
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