Catherine West – who kicked off the Rickety Coup by collecting MP names and demanding a leadership contest – on The World at One has suggested she would vote for Keir Starmer in a leadership contest:
“What I would like to see is the honest conversation and people coming forward, including the Prime Minister if he is going to be a candidate in this particular race because of course many of us like Keir very much as a person. He’s got excellent credentials on the international stage and he could well win a competition if he put his name forward.”
Asked whether she would vote for Wes or Keir, she said:
“Well, we don’t know who the other candidates are.”
Nice for Starmer…
New polling from Survation in LabourList shows Streeting would take just 23 percent of the vote among 1,123 Labour members in a head-to-head contest against Starmer, who would cruise to victory on 53%. Not even close…
In fact, Starmer would also win against Al Carns, Darren Jones, Bridget Phillipson, Louise Haigh, Yvette Cooper, Shabana Mahmood and Lucy Powell. Three candidates would beat him: Andy Burnham, Ed Miliband, and Angela Rayner…
| 28% | 61% | 11% |
| 41% | 45% | 13% |
| 39% | 46% | 15% |
| 53% | 23% | 24% |
| 46% | 25% | 29% |
| 51% | 27% | 22% |
| 64% | 15% | 21% |
| 40% | 25% | 34% |
| 45% | 17% | 38% |
| 45% | 31% | 24% |
| 50% | 29% | 21% |
Survation CEO Damian Lyons Lowe said:
“In November last year, members were about as likely to back Wes Streeting as Keir Starmer in a hypothetical head to head membership contest.
“However, updates in February, and in member polling conducted yesterday and today (May 14) show a membership increasingly in support of the PM as the Health Secretary’s ambition to topple Keir Starmer have been made both plain and acute, while a significant minority of members – 36% – do not think there should be a change of leadership (57% do, 7% don’t know).
“The vast majority that do (84%) believe the PM should set out a timetable vs an immediate departure (14%) – with the most popular option being that a new leader is in place by conference in September (43%).”
At the time of going to pixel, the Streeting camp is insisting it has the numbers but “things are shifting“. Who will blink first? The stats above might give pause for thought…
A very wide briefing from camp Streeting says that the Health Secretary has the numbers to mount a unilateral challenge, but that “things are shifting” and some Cabinet ministers are set to resign today and/or call for the PM to go. Starmer fans are accusing Wes’ people of trying to push the Cabinet into making the first move. It’s a game of chicken…
There is also discussion over whether Starmer will announce his departure today anyway after his support ebbed away yesterday despite attempts to meet with MPs et cetera. N010 is still insisting this is impossible and that Starmer will continue until challenged, at which point he would fight. They would say that, wouldn’t they…
Cabinet ministers are beginning to deny camp Streeting’s claim that they will push for Starmer to resign. At the end of the day a challenge delayed is a challenge denied…
Angela Rayner has entered the leadership conflict this morning. With a bang…
Rayner has spoken to ITV to say she has no deal with Andy Burnham and that she would not trigger a leadership contest:
“I’ve made it clear that I wasn’t going to trigger the prime minister – and that I want to see change.”
She has also given an interview to the Guardian in which she says she has been cleared by HMRC and will not pay a fine. She also said Starmer should consider stepping aside and that she wants to “play my part“: “Keir will have to reflect on that.” Rayner will run to stop Streeting…
Usually the kiss of death, although Streeting’s going to take matters into his own hands anyway…
Wes Streeting is going to resign tomorrow and challenge Keir Starmer for the leadership. The news broke in the Times 45 minutes before the King’s speech. The Rickety Coup is back on…
Lots of gossip is flying around SW1. What happens next?
Bloomberg’s Alex Wickham hears Starmer will stand in the leadership election if Streeting challenges him. “I am certain he will stand”, according to one ally…
Given the ‘showdown’ meeting in Number 10 this morning lasted 16 minutes, the likelihood is Streeting marched in and told Starmer to quit or face a challenge. Starmer said bring it on…
Labour Whips told Sky News’ Jon Craig that they don’t believe Burnham actually has a seat lined up. Which means Wes is their public enemy number one…
Miliband is understood to have told Cabinet ministers he’d stand against Streeting if a contest is triggered before Burnham is in the Commons. Rayner’s star is fading and her tax affairs loom large, so if there’s to be a soft-left challenger to Streeting, Ed will need to move fast…
Starmer could face the mood music and set out a timetable for his departure. Government sources say tomorrow at midday is the likeliest time for this. Monday’s Labour Wars column brought you speculation from inside Downing Street that Starmer would in the end be forced to give up by either Wes standing or Cabinet stressing the point. Versions/threats of both have so far failed to persuade the PM to say he will go…
He could take no action against Streeting and wait for the Health Secretary to resign and draw first blood, in which case he would be breaking his oft-stated red line. Streeting promised that he would not be the one to trigger a leadership contest. It depends on whether No10 thinks that will damage Streeting’s numbers more…
One extravagant theory floating around this afternoon is that Starmer could sack Streeting today and even suspend him from the PLP for undermining the King’s Speech. He’d be ineligible for nomination to the leadership. The chaos and paralysis would keep Starmer in place for a while longer. That seems far-fetched. But anything can happen in The Rickety Coup…
Paula Barker, Liverpool Wavertree MP backing Andy Burnham, told Times Radio there wouldn’t be trouble from the markets under Burnham:
“The markets will have to fall in line.”