News|May 14, 2026|2 min read

Watch: The day Labour's potential leadership race began to heat up

Political instability struck the UK Labour government as Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned, citing lost confidence in Prime Minister Keir Starmer's leadership, while Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham emerged as a potential leadership contender.

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BBC

Contributor

On Thursday, the political landscape in the UK experienced further turbulence as Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced his resignation alongside Labour MP Josh Simons.

In his resignation letter addressed to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Streeting expressed that he had "lost confidence" in Starmer's ability to lead.

Responding to the resignation, Starmer articulated his disappointment: "I am very sorry that you have stepped down from Government."

In a related development, Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, declared his intention to pursue a parliamentary seat following Simons's departure to facilitate this move.

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Four key excerpts from Streeting's resignation letter

Wes Streeting has resigned as health secretary, delivering a scathing assessment of Sir Keir Starmer's leadership in his resignation letter without explicitly announcing a leadership challenge.