![\"Wes](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778845569_800_2497.jpg\")
Wes Streeting leaving 10 Downing Street after a meeting with Keir Starmer on Wednesday. Photograph: Neil Hall\/EPA<\/p>\nStreeting throws his support behind Burnham for Makerfield byelection<\/p>\n
Former health secretary Wes Streeting has voiced his support for Andy Burnham to compete in the Makerfield byelection, describing him as one of Labour\u2019s \u201cbest players on the pitch\u201d.<\/p>\n
Wes Streeting leaving 10 Downing Street after a meeting with Keir Starmer on Wednesday. Photograph: Neil Hall\/EPA<\/p>\n
In a post on X, Streeting, a potential Labour<\/a> leadership challenger, said:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe need our best players on the pitch. There is no doubt that Andy Burnham is one of them.<\/p>\n The Makerfield byelection will be tough. Votes will need to be earned.<\/p>\n Andy is the best chance of winning and that should override factional advantage or propping up one person.<\/p>\n If successful, Burnham is widely expected to challenge Keir Starmer for the party leadership.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.54 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n ‘It’s a tough thing,’ says Trump on Starmer’s survival as prime minister<\/p>\n Donald Trump has given his two cents on whether Keir Starmer can survive as prime minister.<\/p>\n He said Starmer was in trouble because of \u201cenergy and immigration\u201d.<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One following his trip to China,<\/a> the US president said: \u201cHe\u2019s very bad on energy. He should open up the North Sea. He\u2019s got a goldmine and he should open up oil in the North Sea. And he doesn\u2019t. They have a tremendous value.\u201d<\/p>\n US president Donald Trump gestures as he departs Beijing. Photograph: Evan Vucci\/Reuters<\/p>\n When asked again whether Starmer could survive as prime minister, Trump said \u201cit\u2019s a tough thing\u201d and reverted back to speaking about the North Sea and windmills.<\/p>\n \u201cUnless he can straighten out immigration, where he\u2019s weak, and if he doesn\u2019t start drilling, stop with the windmills all over the place that are causing havoc \u2026 most expensive form of energy. They kill the birds. They\u2019re unsightly. They\u2019re ruining the landscape. If he doesn\u2019t stop with the windmills \u2026 he\u2019s got to open up the North Sea,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Trump declined to answer whether Starmer should quit, saying: \u201cI think he\u2019s a nice man actually.\u201d<\/p>\n But he did criticise Starmer again for refusing to join the US and Israel in striking Iran, claiming the war was now \u201csort of finished militarily \u2026 probably 70-75%\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Joanne Thomas, the general secretary of Usdaw, said her union would back Andy Burnham\u2019s Westminster bid.<\/p>\n Thomas, who also chairs the Tulo group of Labour-affiliated trade unions, said:<\/p>\n double quotation markThere is a consensus building that it would be wrong for members in Makerfield to not have the opportunity to select Andy Burnham as their candidate for the Makerfield byelection.<\/p>\n Therefore, Usdaw\u2019s NEC representatives have decided they will vote for the Greater Manchester mayor to be allowed to seek selection as a parliamentary candidate.<\/p>\n Usdaw has two representatives on Labour\u2019s national executive committee (NEC), including one who sat on the officers committee that blocked Burnham from contesting the Gorton and Denton byelection in February, according to PA.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.19 EDT<\/p>\n Labour\u2019s NEC officer committee, which will make the decision on whether Andy Burnham<\/a> can stand in the Makerfield byelection, will meet this weekend, according to Sky News.<\/p>\n There were reports suggesting the 10-person officers\u2019 group could meet today, but Sky News has reported it is likely to happen over the weekend, although it is unclear exactly when.<\/p>\n Labour\u2019s ruling national executive committee will hold its next full meeting on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Earlier, Labour\u2019s deputy leader, Lucy Powell, said she had it on good authority that there will be \u201cabsolutely no attempt to stop\u201d Burnham from standing.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The Press Association has reported that a byelection in Makerfield could cost the taxpayer up to \u00a3226,000, the most the area\u2019s returning officer can claim from the Treasury to cover the cost of running the poll.<\/p>\n The cost of a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester would run into the millions, with the 2024 mayoral election costing the taxpayer \u00a34.7m.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Streeting throws his support behind Burnham for Makerfield byelection<\/p>\n Former health secretary Wes Streeting has voiced his support for Andy Burnham to compete in the Makerfield byelection, describing him as one of Labour\u2019s \u201cbest players on the pitch\u201d.<\/p>\n Wes Streeting leaving 10 Downing Street after a meeting with Keir Starmer on Wednesday. Photograph: Neil Hall\/EPA<\/p>\n In a post on X, Streeting, a potential Labour<\/a> leadership challenger, said:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe need our best players on the pitch. There is no doubt that Andy Burnham is one of them.<\/p>\n The Makerfield byelection will be tough. Votes will need to be earned.<\/p>\n Andy is the best chance of winning and that should override factional advantage or propping up one person.<\/p>\n If successful, Burnham is widely expected to challenge Keir Starmer for the party leadership.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.54 EDT<\/p>\n 11 foreign far-right activists banned from entering UK for Tommy Robinson rally Eleven foreign far-right activists have been banned from coming to the UK ahead of tomorrow\u2019s march by supporters of Tommy Robinson, as the prime minister said there was a \u201cfight for the soul of the country\u201d.<\/p>\n Downing Street said Keir Starmer was taking action to \u201cprotect British communities from vile hate\u201d amid bans on foreign activists including the US-based extremist Valentina Gomez.<\/p>\n Police officers form a cordon in front of supporters of far-right activist Tommy Robinson in the \u2018Unite the Kingdom\u2019 demonstration in September 2025. Photograph: Mark Kerrison\/In Pictures\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Tens of thousands are expected to attend the self-styled \u201cUnite the Kingdom\u201d march promoted by Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon.<\/p>\n Visiting the Metropolitan police\u2019s command and control special operations room today, Starmer said:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe\u2019re in a fight for the soul of this country, and the Unite the Kingdom march this weekend is a stark reminder of exactly what we are up against. Its organisers are peddling hatred and division, plain and simple.<\/p>\n We will block those coming into the UK who seek to incite hatred and violence. For anyone who sets out to wreak havoc on our streets, to intimidate or threaten anyone, you can expect to face the full force of the law.<\/p>\n My government will always champion peaceful protest but will act decisively against hatred. We all have a responsibility to speak out against those spouting vile divisive views wherever we see it.<\/p>\n We are a country built on decency, fairness and respect, at our best when people from different backgrounds come together in common purpose. That is what we must fight for.<\/p>\n Starmer met police chiefs earlier this morning. Downing Street said that he \u201cmade clear he recognises that the majority expected to attend are law-abiding citizens, who want to protest peacefully, and urged everyone attending a protest to act with decency and respect\u201d.<\/p>\n Tomorrow is expected to be one of the busiest days of the year when it comes to policing in London<\/a>. Many are expected to attend a pro-Palestine protest, while there will also be a presence by anti-fascist protesters organised by Stand Up to Racism.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.48 EDT<\/p>\n Keir Starmer spent the morning visiting a south London police station, where he met London mayor Sadiq Khan and Metropolitan police commissioner Mark Rowley ahead of major protests taking place in the capital tomorrow.<\/a><\/p>\n Prime minister Keir Starmer and London mayor Sadiq Khan meet with police officers to discuss operational planning ahead of this weekend\u2019s protests. Photograph: Peter Nicholls\/Getty ImagesStarmer and Khan with commander Clair Haynes and deputy assistant commissioner James Harman as they speak with members of the police. Photograph: Peter Nicholls\/ReutersStarmer and Khan speaking with Met police commissioner Mark Rowley. Photograph: Peter Nicholls\/ReutersShare<\/a>Powell backs Burnham’s return to parliament<\/p>\n Labour\u2019s deputy leader, Lucy Powell, has backed Andy Burnham\u2019s efforts to return to parliament, saying there will be no attempt to stop the Greater Manchester mayor from fighting an upcoming byelection in Makerfield.<\/p>\n Deputy leader of the Labour party, Lucy Powell, at a local election campaign in Wolverhampton in March. Photograph: Christopher Furlong\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Speaking at a Fire Brigades Union conference in Coventry, she said<\/p>\n double quotation markWe could have further to fall as a party and we absolutely need to come back together as one team, because we\u2019ve got to take the fight to [Nigel] Farage. We are at real risk of Nigel Farage walking up Downing Street in a few years time, and we can\u2019t let that happen.<\/p>\n But we\u2019ve got to do our politics differently. We\u2019ve got to end the factionalism. We\u2019ve got to embrace all the different traditions of the Labour party, all the different voices, and bring one team back together.<\/p>\n And that means having Andy Burnham as a key player in that team, in my view. He has now expressed \u2026 his view, his desire to come back to parliament \u2026 I supported Andy last time he wanted to come back to parliament, and I fully support him wanting to come back to parliament again.<\/p>\n She added that she had it \u201con good authority\u201d that there is \u201cgoing to be absolutely no attempt to stop\u201d Burnham from standing, which was met with applause from the audience.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Goodwin rules himself out of Makerfield byelection Matt Goodwin, the Reform candidate who came second to the Greens in Manchester\u2019s Gorton and Denton byelection, has ruled himself out of running in the upcoming Makerfield byelection.<\/p>\n Goodwin told the Guardian that he looked forward to supporting a \u201clocal Reform candidate\u201d in the contest which emerged as Manchester mayor Andy Burnham\u2019s best hope of returning to the House of Commons.<\/p>\n Reform UK leader Nigel Farage with Matt Goodwin, who lost the Gorton and Denton byelection to the Green\u2019s Hannah Spencer in February. Photograph: Christopher Thomond\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Nigel Farage has said that Reform will \u201cthrow absolutely everything at\u201d the contest, which has opened up after the Labour<\/a> MP Josh Simons stood down on Thursday to allow Burnham to try to challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership.<\/p>\n Simons had a majority of 5,399 in the 2024 general election, with Robert Kenyon taking 12,803 votes for Reform.<\/p>\n Kenyon, who was elected to Wigan Council earlier this month, could stand again and has particularly strong credentials. A plumber, like the Green party\u2019s victorious Hannah Spencer in Gorton and Denton, he has also served in the British army, worked for six years in the NHS and grew up in a staunchly Labour family.<\/p>\n Goodwin said: \u201cI look forward to supporting a local Reform candidate and doing whatever I can to bring Andy Burnham back down to earth and inflict another defeat on this rotten Labour government in their own backyard. Vote Reform.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n In today\u2019s episode of Today in Focus<\/a>, Guardian columnist Rafael Behr talks through a frantic day that started with Wes Streeting\u2019s resignation as health secretary and ended with the very real possibility of his rival \u2013 Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham \u2013 returning to parliament.<\/p>\n But what, asks Nosheen Iqbal, do the runners and riders actually stand for? And is there any evidence they could take Labour<\/a> out of the mess it\u2019s in now?<\/p>\n You can listen to the episode here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n In other news, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper is heading to China in early June, according to Reuters, citing three sources.<\/p>\n The trip to Beijing is reportedly scheduled for 2 and 3 June, where she is expected to holds talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Her trip will also see her in the southern tech hub of Shenzhen for meetings with businesses, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n Keir Starmer and Chinese president Xi Jinping announced a reset in UK-China relations <\/a>in January, pledging greater cooperation on trade, investment and technology after the government approved of plans for Beijing to build its largest embassy in Europe in London.<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Luke Akehurst, Labour MP for North Durham and a member of the national executive committee (NEC), said he expected Andy Burnham<\/a> to be granted a waiver to stand in the Makerfield byelection.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to pre-judge [the NEC\u2019s] decision, but everything I\u2019m hearing suggests they\u2019re going to give him a waiver to allow him to stand even though he\u2019s a metro mayor,\u201d he told BBC Radio 4\u2019s Today programme.<\/p>\n \u201cMy sense is things have moved on from the previous byelection in Gorton and Denton and that the obstacles to [Burnham] running are not there if the local party members want to pick him.\u201d<\/p>\n Burnham was prevented by Keir Starmer from running in the Gorton and Denton byelection<\/a> earlier this year, to the anger of his backers in the party.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>UK borrowing costs rise and sterling falls as traders brace for Burnham UK government borrowing costs have jumped at the start of trading, and the pound has fallen, as City traders respond to the news that Andy Burnham now has a chance to become Labour\u2019s next leader.<\/p>\n UK bond prices have dropped at the start of trading, which pushes up the yield (or interest rate) on these gilts, while the pound has dropped against the US dollar.<\/p>\n Yesterday, UK bond yields hit their lowest level since Monday after Wes Streeting failed to launch a leadership challenge as he quit the cabinet.<\/p>\n This morning, the yield on UK 10-year bond is up 11 basis points (0.11 of a percentage point) to 5.11%, suggesting concerns that the UK could aim to borrow more under a new prime minister.<\/p>\n Thirty-year bond yields are up 11 bps too to 5.76% \u2013 not far from the 28-year high of 5.81% hit on Tuesday.<\/a><\/p>\n Other government bond yields (such as the US and Japan) are rising too this morning, but UK borrowing costs are moving somewhat more sharply.<\/p>\n The pound has hit its lowest level in five weeks, down more than half a cent at one point to $1.333.<\/p>\n For more updates and other financial news, follow our business live blog here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n What would potential Labour<\/a> leadership candidates do differently to Starmer?<\/p>\n Wes Streeting, Ed Miliband, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham. Illustration: Guardian Design\/Getty<\/p>\n Wes Streeting\u2019s resignation as health secretary<\/a>, and the resignation of former minister Josh Simons<\/a> as an MP to clear a path for Andy Burnham to return to parliament, has brought the prospect of a Labour leadership race one step closer, even if he has not triggered a contest himself.<\/p>\n Almost every critic of Keir Starmer has accused the prime minister of not being sufficiently \u201cbold\u201d in his policy choices. But what would his possible replacements actually do differently? In this explainer, the Guardian\u2019s policy editor Kiran Stacey looks at the stances on key issues of Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting<\/a>, Angela Rayner and Ed Miliband:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.30 EDT<\/p>\n The new health secretary, James Murray, was pictured in Downing Street this morning on his first full day in the role.<\/p>\n He was appointed last night after Wes Streeting stepped down from the position<\/a>, saying it would have been \u201cdishonourable\u201d to remain in post after he had lost confidence in prime minister Keir Starmer.<\/p>\n Newly appointed health secretary James Murray at 10 Downing Street. Photograph: Henry Nicholls\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a>Outgoing Labour MP spoke to Burnham’s team about Makerfield ‘earlier this week’<\/p>\n Labour MP Josh Simons, who stood down from his seat in Makerfield to pave the way for Andy Burnham\u2019s return, said his decision was one of the \u201cmost difficult\u201d he\u2019s made, but that he\u2019s \u201cabsolutely\u201d confident the Greater Manchester mayor can win a byelection.<\/p>\n He told the BBC he spoke to Burnham\u2019s team \u201cfor the first time seriously about this earlier this week\u201d, adding: \u201cIt\u2019s all been incredibly fast.\u201d<\/p>\n Josh Simons MP, and Andy Burnham. Composite: UK Parliament\/Danny Lawson\/PA<\/p>\n The outgoing MP, whose wife recently had their third child, said he will spend more time with his family and help Burnham with his campaign.<\/p>\n To find out more about Simons, who has only been an MP for two years, the Guardian\u2019s Whitehall editor Rowena Mason has put together a profile here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Starmer ‘unpopular’ but Labour must stop ‘internal-facing nonsense’, says minister<\/p>\n Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics.<\/p>\n double quotation markHousing secretary Steve Reed, a close ally of Keir Starmer, has been on the media round this morning urging Labour colleagues to put the \u201ccountry first, party second\u201d, even as he admits the prime minister is \u201cunpopular\u201d.<\/p>\n When asked by Sky News whether replacing an unpopular prime minister is something the party should consider, he said: \u201cEach of the last four prime ministers, in turn, has been the most unpopular prime minister we\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWhat we need to do is all of us come together behind the prime minister and focus on how we can deliver the change the British public want to see faster.\u201d<\/p>\n Prime minister Keir Starmer in the Commons on Wednesday. Photograph: House of Commons\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n A leadership challenge seems all but inevitable, with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham potentially throwing his hat in the ring, but Reed rather bluntly stated \u201cthere is no leadership challenge\u201d and hit out at the \u201cinternal-facing nonsense\u201d plaguing the party.<\/p>\n He told the BBC: \u201cIf people wanted to gather the nominations then it\u2019s open for them to do that \u2013 they would need to find enough Labour<\/a> MPs that wanted to endorse them but nobody has done that.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a very difficult week but we need to take a breath now, take this weekend to reflect on what\u2019s going on, and come back next week and focus on the country we were elected to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n Commenting on reports suggesting Starmer was considering his position last night, Reed told Times Radio \u201cthat isn\u2019t true\u201d, adding: \u201cThe Labour party will not copy the chaos we saw under the Conservatives.\u201d<\/p>\n Labour MP Josh Simons announced yesterday that he would stand down from his constituency in Makerfield to make way for Burnham to stand as a candidate in a byelection.<\/p>\n Simons said he believed Burnham could \u201cdrive the change our country is crying out for\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have lost the trust of those our party was built to serve. It is my unwavering belief that nothing short of urgent, radical, courageous reform will make a difference,\u201d he told BBC Radio Manchester this morning.<\/p>\n Read more here:<\/p>\n![\"Ben](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ben_Quinn.png\")
Ben Quinn<\/p>\nBen Quinn<\/p>\n![\"Graeme](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778845570_493_Graeme-Wearden,-L.png\")
Graeme Wearden<\/p>\n