Andy Burnham top choice for leader among members, even if 66% think Keir Starmer is doing a good job

Key takeaways

Most Labour members think Wes Streeting was wrong to resign as health secretary (57%) and would rather Starmer beat Streeting in a leadership challenge by 65% to 15%Nearly half of members (47%) rank Andy Burnham as their first preference for Labour leadership, compared to 31% for Starmer. 59% rank Burnham above Starmer in their preferences for leaderWhile 66% of party members believe Starmer has done a good job as prime minister, just 28% think Labour are likely to win in 2029 if he stays leader, and 61% want him to stand down before the next general election80% of Labour members say the party has done a good job in government

Following Labour’s significant losses in the local and devolved elections, a question mark hangs over the future of Keir Starmer’s leadership, with dozens of Labour MPs calling on the prime minister to quit, most notably Wes Streeting, who resigned as health secretary. Furthermore, onetime Starmer ally Josh Simons has resigned his Makerfield seat, triggering a by-election in which potential leadership challenger Andy Burnham is expected to stand as the Labour candidate.

Nonetheless, Keir Starmer has said he intends to stay put and “get on with governing”, while around 100 other Labour MPs have signed a letter in support of him remaining prime minister. With the leadership such an open question, and one on which Labour party members have a high chance of having the final say, a new YouGov survey of 706 Labour members examines their views on Starmer’s performance as PM and his potential challengers.

Labour members say Wes Streeting was wrong to resign as health secretary – and would vote against him in a leadership contest

While it was backbencher Catherine West who issued the first public challenge to Starmer’s leadership, it was Streeting’s resignation that posed the first heavyweight threat, even if it has since appeared that he lacks the support to issue a direct challenge to the PM (which would require the backing of 81 MPs).

The Ilford MP finds little support among the membership too, with 57% saying his resignation was the wrong move. Only 25% say that he was right to quit the cabinet.

Indeed, in head-to-heads against Starmer and other potential challengers, the former health secretary comes in for a battering.

Were there a direct contest between Starmer and Streeting, the prime minister would win handily, with 65% of Labour members saying they would vote for the current occupant of Number 10, versus only 15% who would seek to replace him with Streeting.