Wes Streeting is widely seen as one of the most likely candidates to succeed Sir Keir Starmer if the Prime Minister stands down from the top job in the coming weeks.
The i Paper understands that Streeting is unlikely to trigger a leadership challenge himself, but there have been reports that he is preparing a case – should a contest begin anyway.
After a historically bad set of local election results for Labour, that scenario looks increasingly plausible.
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Multiple Labour MPs warned, however passionate or persuasive Sir Keir Starmer is, his remarks are unlikely to help (Photo: Leon Neal/Getty)
POLITICS
Who are the main threats to Starmer’s leadership?
As Sir Keir Starmer faces calls to step down following a blistering defeat in the local elections, The i Paper examines the front runners to a potential leadership contest.
The Labour Party lost around 1,400 council seats overall, foregoing majority control of around 38 councils, and prompting dozens of MPs to demand a resignation.
Who are the front runners to replace Starmer?
Wes Streeting, Health Secretary
Angela Rayner, backbench MP and former deputy leader
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester
Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Catherine West, former under-secretary of state at the FCDO
OPINION
4 min read
A look at the contenders
Caption: FILE PHOTO: Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner exits a vehicle in Downing Street in London, Britain, March 26, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo
Photographer: Hannah McKay
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Health Secretary Wes Streeting is thought to be the most ready for a leadership contest.
The former deputy PM Angela Rayner is pipped to be a potential successor to Starmer. While she has not confirmed a bid, her allies say she is getting prepared.
Exclusive
7 min read
Who else is in the running?
The Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has previously said he would stand against Starmer if there were a contest. However, Burnham cannot run for Labour leader unless he is first elected as an MP.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is thought to be a strong contender for PM, if a contest is launched before Burnham has returned. However, he was already rejected by the electorate against David Cameron in 2015.
NEWS
3 min read
Exclusive
3 min read
PM says he will not resign
Former parliamentary under-secretary of state at the FCDO Catherine West has said she would challenge Starmer for leadership. “You know what sometimes happens to stalking horses? They become the candidate,” she said.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly said he will not resign despite mounting pressure after a poor set of local election results.
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 11: Prime Minister Keir Starmer gives a speech at Coin Street Community Centre on May 11, 2026 in London, England. Prime Minister and Labour Leader Keir Starmer is making a major speech in a bid to secure his premiership, following the devastating losses the Labour Party suffered in last week’s elections. Starmer says the government “will face up to the big challenges” the country faces after Labour relinquished nearly 1500 seats in local elections across England and power in the Welsh Senedd. In the wake of Labour’s historic losses, Labour MP Catherine West has said she will attempt to trigger a leadership contest against Starmer if his cabinet ministers fail to challenge him. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Photographer: Carl Court
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Caption: Catherine West MP, Labour appears on BBC TV’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg in London, Britain, May 10, 2026. Jeff Overs/BBC/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. NOT FOR USE MORE THAN 21 DAYS AFTER ISSUE. ANY USE AFTER THAT TIME MUST BE CLEARED THROUGH BBC PICTURE PUBLICITY.
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ENTERTAINMENT
The Beatles to open museum on site of iconic last gig
Caption: Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison in THE BEATLES: GET BACK. Photo courtesy of Apple Corps Ltd.
THE BEATLES GET BACK
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Image via https://press.disney.co.uk/
Copyright: ? 2021 Apple Corps Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
The Beatles are turning the seven-floor venue where they played their last ever gig into an exhibition space.
It will be the first museum in London dedicated to the iconic band, once it is opened next year.
The Beatles at 3 Savile Row
The museum, called The Beatles at 3 Savile Row, is expected to include a series of exhibitions using unseen archival material, as well as a recreation of the studio where the band recorded their final album, Let It Be.
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the LP “gold standard”
A Hard Day’s Night was filmed in crisp black and white in London at the height of Beatlemania (Photo: United Artists/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
The Grade II listed mansion served as the band’s headquarters between 1968 and 1972. On 30 January, 1969, the band performed their last-ever concert on the rooftop of the site after the Let It Be sessions.
McCartney visits soon-to-be museum site
There are so many special memories within the walls, not to mention the rooftop. The team have put together some really impressive plans and I’m excited for people to see it when it’s ready.
Sir Paul McCartney
Caption: Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison in THE BEATLES: GET BACK. Photo courtesy of Apple Corps Ltd.
THE BEATLES GET BACK
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Image via https://press.disney.co.uk/
Copyright: ? 2021 Apple Corps Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Biopics in the works
Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Ringo Starr and the estates of their fellow band members John Lennon and George Harrison have all committed their support for the museum. It will be funded by Apple Corps, the entity set up by The Beatles in 1968.
It comes ahead of the planned release of four biopics in 2028, which each focus on a band member with Paul Mescal as McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Starr, Harris Dickinson as Lennon and Joseph Quinn as Harrison.
FILM
5 min read
MUSIC
5 min read
HEALTH
How weight-loss drugs can help obese breast cancer patients
CARDIFF, WALES – NOVEMBER 8: A close-up of a Mounjaro KwikPen injection pen on November 8, 2025 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
Weight loss drugs could improve survival rates and lower the risk of cancer returning in breast cancer patients with obesity, a new study suggests.
Researchers said GLP-1 weight loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy “may offer protective benefits beyond glycaemic and weight control, potentially improving survival and recurrence risk in some female patients with breast cancer”.
A survival boost
Researchers from the US-based Massey Comprehensive Cancer Centre said breast cancer patients living with obesity or type 2 diabetes tend to have poorer survival outcomes.
While GLP-1 drugs are already known to help treat both conditions, researchers added that their links with breast cancer survival and recurrence “remains unclear”.
HEALTH
4 min read
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
The mystery link
With researchers unsure of the mystery link, they set out to examine the connection among breast cancer patients over a 10-year period. Here’s how it went:
The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, examined data on 841,831 US patients aged 18 and over.
They used prescription data to see whether patients had used GLP-1s before or after they were diagnosed.
They compared 1,610 patients who used, and 1,610 patients who did not use, the weight loss drugs at any point.
The weight loss drugs appeared to carry a 65 per cent reduced risk of death among women with obesity during the 10-year follow up period, researchers said.
Use of the drugs were also linked to 56 per cent reduced risk of the disease returning.
Landmark study
All-cause mortality was approximately 60 per cent lower at both five and 10 years among GLP-1 RA users compared with non-users. No study has found a survival difference this large associated with GLP-1 RA prescriptions in a population of women with breast cancer or any other cancer.
Dr Richard Wender, the University of Pennsylvania
Clinical trials suggest that trastuzumab deruxtecan, also known as Enhertu, can increase the amount of time patients live and gives them more time before their disease progresses (Photo: PA)
What next?
The researchers said their findings support the launch of clinical trials to further evaluate the effects of the drugs.
While the findings are promising, more work is needed before changing treatment practices for breast cancer patients.
(Photo: Shutterstock)
LIFESTYLE
7 min read
Dua Lipa’s Pyramid Stage headline performance in 2024 was streamed on bbc.com for international audiences (Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage)
ENTERTAINMENT
Why Dua Lipa has sued Samsung for $15m
Dua Lipa has filed a lawsuit against Samsung for at least $15m (£11m), accusing the South Korean tech giant of using a photo of her to sell its TVs.
Samsung began using an image of Lipa on an image of a TV screen printed on its cardboard packaging for a “significant portion” of its TVs sold in the US last year, according to the legal complaint filed in California on Friday.
No permission or compensation
The British popstar, 30, alleges that Samsung did not financially compensate her or seek permission for using her image, which was taken backstage before a performance at the Austin City Limits festival in 2024.
When Lipa became aware of Samsung’s use of the image June 2025, she says she immediately demanded that the company stop using it. However, the singer claims Samsung was “dismissive and callous” and “repeatedly refused”.
NEWS
3 min read
MUSIC
5 min read
Singer had ‘no say, control, or input’ in campaign
Ms. Lipa’s face was prominently used for a mass marketing campaign for a consumer product without her knowledge, without consideration, and as to which she had no say, control, or input whatsoever. Ms. Lipa did not allow and would not have allowed this use.
tHE LAWSUIT STATES
Dua Lipa at Milan Fashion Week in February 2023 (Photo: Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images)
Copyright claims
The lawsuit states that Lipa owns the copyright to the photograph that was used, and that it is a violation of the California right of publicity statute, a federal Lanham Act claim, and trademark claims.
The case also alleges that Lipa is “highly selective” in making product endorsements and that Samsung’s conduct “makes a mockery of her hard work in establishing a successful brand”. Samsung has yet to respond.
Lipa kept up the energy throughout (Photo: Shirlaine Forrest)
OPINION
4 min read
HEALTH
How the four-day week could reduce obesity
Caption: Embargoed to 0001 Saturday January 22
File photo dated 28/07/10 of an overweight man. Obese people are being encouraged to ask their pharmacist about a free online NHS weight loss programme. Issue date: Saturday January 22, 2022. PA Photo. Until now, obese patients with either high blood pressure or diabetes had to be seen by their GP before they could access the 12-week weight management plan in England. See PA story HEALTH Obesity. Photo credit should read: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire
Photographer: Dominic Lipinski
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Those who work longer hours are more likely to be obese, new research suggests, prompting experts to push for a four-day week in Britain.
Long days mean “time-poor” staff rely on unhealthy convenience food, have fewer opportunities to exercise, and register higher levels of cortisol – the stress hormone, all of which increase fat storage.
The research
The research, published at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, examined data from 33 countries working with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, including the UK.
It compared average working hours with obesity rates, and found nations with the highest rates of obesity, including the US and Mexico, had the longest working hours. Other countries, such as the Netherlands, had low obesity and low working hours.
Every 1 per cent reduction in working hours was associated with a 0.16 per cent decrease in obesity rates at a population level, the data suggests.
Switching to a four-day week could result in a 3 per cent fall in obesity rates.
If applied to England, where 13.5 million are obese, this would result in over 400,000 fewer obese adults.
A balanced life is a better life
We need to change the food environment and working conditions. When people have a more balanced life, they have a better life. They have less stress, they can focus on more nutritious food and engage in more physical activities
Dr Pradeepa Korale-Gedara of the University of Queensland in Australia, the study’s author
Try and eat vegetables of different colours for maximum nutrition (Photo: Getty)
Of the 33 countries in the study, the UK ranked ninth for obesity rates, but 24th in terms of working hours.
The average adult in England is forecast to work 1,505 hours a year in the UK, compared with 1,811 in the US.
(Photo: Charles Gullung/Getty).
Constant fatigue could point to anaemia (Photo: LaylaBird/Getty)
Dr Rita Fontinha, of the World of Work Institute at the University of Reading, said: “If you work two jobs or long hours, you simply do not have the energy to cook, and it becomes easier to just buy something packaged or processed.”
More than 200,000 workers have switched to a four-day week since the Covid-19 pandemic, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
What is the four-day week?
Active woman doing stretching exercise with friends – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
There is a growing movement in the UK towards a four-day week, where employees work one less day per week with no loss of pay.
Advocates argue companies can still maintain the same level of productivity, while also having wider health and societal benefits. Some say it may increase pressure to do the same amount of work in less time.
OPINION
3 min read
WORLD ANALYSIS
Trump faces his greatest rival this week. He needs a win
Only a few months ago, the prospect of a summit between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping looked likely to be a bruising confrontation.
Last year, after Washington had imposed tariffs on Chinese goods that reached as high as 145 per cent at one stage, rhetoric on both sides hardened sharply.
Rising anxieties
Trump has tried to navigate the rising anxiety about China, which is one of the issues that has united Republicans and Democrats in the US for the best part of 10 years.
He has consistently expressed his admiration for Jinping, even when he was out of office. To his detractors, this was yet another sign that the US President has a soft spot for autocrats and dictators.
Trump and Xi Jinping tour the Forbidden City in Beijing in November 2017 (Photo: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
OPINION
3 min read
A ‘friendly’ summit
After a meeting between the two leaders in Busan, South Korea, last October, Jinping took a similar line. “China and the United States should be partners and friends,” he said.
Caption: U.S. President Donald Trump attends an event at The Villages Charter School at The Villages, Florida, U.S., May 1, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
Photographer: Nathan Howard
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Source: REUTERS
(Photo: Nhac Nguyen/Pool/AFP via Getty).
This does not mean that the anxieties that both countries have about each other’s motivations, ambitions or capabilities have dissipated. At the moment, however, it suits both sides to make this week’s summit as friendly and constructive as possible.
Iran war pressures
For the US, the opening of Pandora’s box that has followed the attacks on Iran means that, as well as being preoccupied elsewhere, there is a need to replenish heavily depleted weapons stocks.
That means that a moratorium with China is helpful, as is a loosening of Beijing’s tight controls on the export of rare earths and critical minerals.
Trump has been messaging his intentions accordingly.
Last month, he posted on Truth Social about the summit: “President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks. We are working together smartly, and very well!”
The cost of fighting
Trump cannot afford to pick another fight at a time when the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has put pressure not only on oil supplies but also on fertiliser, helium and the global economy as a whole.
That works well for Jinping, too. The optics of Washington treating China as a peer are good for the latter’s global stature.
Caption: TOPSHOT – US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 16, 2026. The United States will prevent all shipping from entering or exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz for “as long as it takes,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday, the fourth day of the blockade. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: SAUL LOEB
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Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
OPINION
4 min read
Movement on both sides
That is why the meeting is likely to produce a set of carefully calibrated announcements designed to show that co-operation remains possible.
The United States is expected to push hard for major Chinese purchases of American goods.
China, meanwhile, will seek movement on export controls, semiconductor restrictions and investment barriers.
Analysis
4 min read
Analysis
6 min read
Streeting’s record in Government – and his willingness to break publicly with Downing Street on a number of key questions – gives a hint of what a Streeting premiership might look like.
Here is what Streeting in No 10 could mean for you…
Welfare and disability benefits
Streeting has frequently taken the view that the welfare system has become a barrier to work rather than a bridge. He told Sky News in March 2025 that the system should “do the two things it needs to do” – supporting those who cannot work, while acting as “a springboard back to work” for those who can.
The Health Secretary has also argued that there is an “overdiagnosis” of some mental health conditions. Speaking to the BBC in March of this year, he said: “I agree with that point about overdiagnosis… there’s too many people being written off.”
His department launched an independent review into the rising demand for mental health, ADHD and autism services last December, claiming that there were 13 times more people waiting for an autism assessment in September 2025 than in April 2019.
But Streeting has been careful to frame this as a clinical question rather than a cost-cutting exercise. “I know from personal experience how devastating it can be for people who face poor mental health, have ADHD or autism and can’t get a diagnosis,” he said when announcing the review.
The comments suggest that Streeting would likely follow the Government’s current approach to some degree should he enter No 10.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting meets patients at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, east London (Photo: Lucy North/PA)
Health and NHS
As Health Secretary, Wes Streeting has driven a “modernise or die” agenda focused on reforming and streamlining the health service.
One of his most eye-catching moves came in March 2025, when it was announced that NHS England would be abolished and its functions merged into the Department of Health and Social Care to cut bureaucracy and bring the service under direct democratic control.
In a major speech in March 2026, Streeting argued that “the NHS was broken” and required “a reformation, not more devotion”.
He outlined three key shifts for the future of healthcare: moving “from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, [and] from sickness to prevention”.
Streeting’s plans included expanding neighbourhood health centres, increasing the use of technology and AI, and improving access through the NHS app and online consultations.
He has not shied away from conflict with the medical establishment. He has taken a hard line against the British Medical Association over junior doctor strikes, and deferred plans to introduce 1,000 extra speciality training posts after junior doctors refused to call off a six-day strike earlier this year.
This attitude towards healthcare would likely carry on through a Streeting premiership.
Tax and economy
Streeting has struck a notably different tone on taxation from the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, suggesting he is more concerned about the overall burden on individuals and businesses than about raising additional revenue.
Speaking to The Observer in December 2025, the minister said he was “really uncomfortable with the level of taxation in this country”, adding: “We’re asking a lot of individual taxpayers, we’re asking a lot of businesses. We’ve got a level of indebtedness that we need to take very seriously.”
He has, however, drawn a clear distinction between ordinary taxpayers and the very wealthy.
In June 2023, he called on high-net-worth individuals to stop using “clever wheezes and accounting tricks” to reduce their bills, and to instead do their “patriotic duty” and contribute to “real improvements in public services”.
His frustration with the current economic direction has also surfaced in private. In messages to Lord Mandelson, he said Labour had “no growth strategy” – a direct criticism of Starmer and Reeves.
He later said he had been “proved wrong” and that Reeves deserved credit, but the original remarks are a clearer window into his thinking on whether the Government is going far enough on growth.
The Health Secretary has publicly denied any intention to challenge Starmer (Photo: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing)
Foreign affairs
The area where Streeting has gone furthest beyond the Government’s stated position is Britain’s relationship with the EU.
In his December 2025 Observer interview, he argued that “the best way for us to get more growth into our economy is a deeper trading relationship with the EU,” and said that leaving the bloc had cost the country “the enormous economic benefits that came with being in the single market and the customs union”.
Streeting was careful to add that any partnership “can’t lead to a return to freedom of movement,” but the overall thrust of his remarks went further than the current EU reset, which he described as “a good start”.
His comments appeared to leave open the possibility of a customs union – something the Government has previously ruled out.
Starmer did, however, hint in his reset speech on Monday that he would be willing to look again at rejoining the EU single market. That may be a sign that Streeting’s thinking could have broader support within the party that the Prime Minister wants to capitalise on.
Immigration
Streeting’s position on immigration is more nuanced than that of the Government he serves in.
He has expressed personal discomfort with aspects of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s plans for forced deportations of families with children.
Asked directly on LBC whether he was comfortable with the policy, he said: “Honestly? Comfortable? No. But is it the right thing to do for the country? Yes.”
But, equally, he has defended the Government’s current hard-line approach, which includes raising skilled worker salary thresholds, making refugee status temporary with 30-month reviews and extending the wait for permanent settlement to 20 years.
Speaking to GB News last September, he said that the UK does need to “take a tougher line on this” and that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood had a “determination to grip this problem and to secure our borders”.
Overall, this suggests he could maintain much of the Government’s tough approach on borders and removals, though he may be open to softening its application in some areas like family reunion.