Labour’s civil war over Sir Keir Starmer’s fate intensified with briefing from rival factions over Wes Streeting’s expected leadership bid, and after Angela Rayner signalled she could also run.
Sir Keir continued to vow to stay put, as Downing Street indicated that Mr Streeting did not have the backing of 81 Labour MPs needed to force a race.
But allies of the Health Secretary suggested to reporters he did have the required support but was delaying any launch because of mounting pressure on the Prime Minister to step down in the wake of Labour’s election mauling last week.
Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister Ms Rayner revealed on Thursday morning that she had been cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing over her tax affairs, paving the way for a potential tilt at the top job.
She said she might throw her hat into the ring in any race but insisted she would not “trigger” one.
Ms Rayner, the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, said Mr Streeting, who was believed to have told allies he was preparing to quit on Thursday in a bid for the top job, would need to “justify his actions”.
Ms Rayner has settled £40,000 in unpaid stamp duty, but has not paid any penalty as a result of the HMRC investigation into her underpayment of the levy on a property purchase, the row which triggered her resignation from the Government and had overshadowed her prospects of a potential leadership run.
I welcome HMRC’s conclusion, which has cleared me of any wrongdoing.
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) May 14, 2026
I have been exonerated by HMRC of the accusation that I deliberately sought to avoid tax.
When purchasing a home of my own with a mortgage, I did not own any other property and had no personal financial…
Publicly, No 10 insisted Sir Keir retained full confidence in Mr Streeting, although his spokesman credited “decisions taken by this Government” for improvements in NHS waiting times rather than the Health Secretary.
But behind the scenes, the Cabinet minister’s camp was accused of making “mischief” by briefing that senior ministers could be poised to go to Downing Street to ask Sir Keir to go.
Sources close to Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones denied rumours that he was telling MPs Sir Keir was going to resign, saying: “No. He spent six hours last night talking MPs down and I’ve been briefing all morning Wes is well short on numbers.”
They also said Mr Streeting’s team was “up to mischief because they know he’s short on numbers”.
No 10 pointed to Sir Keir’s comment at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting that “the Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered”.
He would fight any leadership challenge mounted against him, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said, adding that the “position hasn’t changed since he set that out on Monday”.
The official declined to comment on Ms Rayner’s announcement on her tax affairs or whether there was a route back into Government for her, telling reporters: “I think you’re asking about hypothetical Cabinet change, which I’m not going to engage in.”
He said: “It’s not for me to comment on an individual’s tax affairs, and as I say, she’s addressed quite a lot about herself this morning.”
Meanwhile, Chancellor Rachel Reeves warned colleagues not to put the economy “at risk” by “plunging the country into chaos” after figures showed gross domestic product grew in the first three months of the year.
While some 87 MPs have so far publicly called for Sir Keir’s resignation, they are not united behind a single candidate to replace him.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, armed forces minister Al Carns and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham are seen as possible contenders, although the latter would first need to find a seat and win a by-election.
