More than 90 Labour MPs called for Starmer to quit, including four ministers who resigned to demand his demise. Streeting is seen as a major agitator for the PM’s ousting.
Starmer held private talks in Downing Street with Streeting on Wednesday morning lasting less than 20 minutes. It didn’t take long after Streeting emerged from the meeting for a report in the Times to land, in which his allies said he planned to resign as health secretary in order to run for the leadership.
Three Labour MPs told POLITICO they had been informed by Streeting’s camp that he plans to resign and challenge the PM, with one saying that will happen as early as Thursday.
If Burnham cannot enter parliament to challenge Streeting, then his supporters are looking to Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister who still needs to resolve a tax issue, or Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, as the soft-left standard bearer.
Miliband, who led Labour to electoral defeat in 2015, is already organising and sounding out support from colleagues, according to one soft-left MP.
Another figure in government who is preparing a bid is Al Carns, the armed forces minister. “He is definitely open to running. He won’t be disloyal, but if someone fires a starting gun he is not shy of gunfire,” one MP in his camp said of the special forces veteran.
Burnham’s return is further complicated by parliamentary process. By-elections are held 21 to 27 working days after the writ triggering the contest is moved in the Commons. That’s a process controlled by the government whips.
Dan Bloom contributed to reporting.