LONDON: Britain&#39;s health minister Wes Streeting announced on Thursday that he had resigned, paving the way for him to launch a leadership challenge&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/british-pm-battles-to-stay-in-power-amid-rebellion" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">against embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer.</a> In his resignation letter to Starmer, which Streeting posted on X, he said: &quot;It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/possible-contenders-if-uk-pm-starmer-quits" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">next general election</a>&quot;. He added that he had &quot;lost confidence&quot; in Starmer&#39;s leadership, and a debate about what comes next for the ruling party &quot;needs to be broad, and it needs to be the best possible field of candidates&quot;. Streeting, 43, did not say whether he had the required support of 81 Labour MPs &ndash; 20% of the party in parliament &ndash; to trigger a contest. Starmer, who led his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pressure-grows-on-uks-starmer-to-quit-as-pm" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Labour Party</a>&nbsp;to victory in 2024 elections ending 14 years of Conservative rule, is fighting to save his job after disastrous local and regional polls last week. Four junior ministers have resigned and more than 80 Labour MPs have urged him to quit, but he has vowed to cling on and more than 100 lawmakers from the ruling party have called for him to stay. On Thursday, his former deputy Angela Rayner announced that UK tax authorities had &quot;cleared&quot; her of deliberate wrongdoing in a tax affair, opening the way for her to compete in a potential leadership race. The 46-year-old insisted she would not be the one to trigger a contest, but told the Guardian newspaper she would play &quot;whatever role I can&quot; to &quot;deliver the change&quot;. Rayner, a left-wing figurehead hugely popular among Labour&#39;s grassroots activists, also called on Starmer to &quot;reflect&quot; on his position. She was forced to step down in September for underpaying a property duty, but said on Thursday the UK tax authority HMRC had exonerated her of &quot;the accusation that I deliberately sought to avoid tax&quot;. Rayner quit as deputy PM and housing, communities and local government minister after an investigation found she had breached the ministerial code over the purchase of a flat in southern England. Media reported she had paid off &pound;40,000 ($54,000) in outstanding tax. Local poll drubbing Streeting is popular on the right of Labour, but is disliked by MPs on the left who would prefer Rayner or Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as leader. Burnham is currently blocked from running as he does not have a seat in the Westminster parliament. His supporters want Starmer to set a detailed timetable for his departure that allows Burnham to stand. Starmer&#39;s spokesman insisted Thursday that the prime minister was going nowhere. He &quot;is purely focused on governing. He is getting on with the job of doing just that,&quot; the spokesman told reporters. Voters last week punished Starmer over his 22 months in power in local ballots which saw huge gains for the hard-right Reform UK party and the left-wing populist Greens at Labour&#39;s expense. The Labour Party lost control of the devolved Welsh parliament for the first time and failed to make up ground on the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) in the parliament in Edinburgh. Rayner earlier stopped short of calling for Starmer to resign, but said voters were frustrated with the way the government was being run. Starmer has vowed to fight any contest and came out fighting on Monday, pledging to do better and prove his doubters &quot;wrong&quot;. He has been backed by several senior cabinet ministers, including Finance Minister Rachel Reeves, who urged colleagues Thursday not to put the economy &quot;at risk&quot; by &quot;plunging the country into chaos&quot; with a leadership challenge.

Britain's Health Secretary Wes Streeting (L) listens as Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech on a plan to reduce NHS waiting times, during a visit to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC) in Epsom, south-west of Lon

Europe

Resignation adds to pressure within the Labour Party as internal divisions deepen, with senior figures questioning leadership direction following recent political setbacks and growing uncertainty over party unity and stability.

UK health minister quits amid leadership challenge to Prime Minister Starmer

LONDON: As pressure grows on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to stand down, discussion centers on his potential successor as leader of the ruling Labour party.&nbsp;The winner of any leadership race will be decided by the party&#39;s members, not the general public. None of the possible candidates is universally popular in the party, however.&nbsp;Wes StreetingThe 43-year-old health minister has long been rumoured as a possible contender and many MPs urging Starmer to leave are his supporters.&nbsp;Streeting, whose full name is Wesley, was one of the most visible Labour figures during the 2024 election campaign and hailed as one of its best communicators.&nbsp;Seen as on the right of the Labour party, he has praised former prime minister Tony Blair and spoken of his desire to lead the party.&nbsp;He comes from a working-class background in east London. Both his parents were teenagers when he was born. He grew up in a flat on a municipal housing estate he has described as &quot;grim&quot; and attended state school.&nbsp;He has talked about his grandfather being an armed robber who knew notorious London gangsters the Kray Brothers.&nbsp;After studying at the University of Cambridge, he was elected an MP in 2015. As health minister he has criticized striking medics.&nbsp;He is openly gay, his partner is a communications adviser.&nbsp;In a potentially damaging connection, Streeting initially defended Labour grandee Peter Mandelson when he was sacked as US ambassador over his association with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.&nbsp;Streeting has denied being close friends with Mandelson.&nbsp;Angela RaynerFormer deputy prime minister Angela Rayner is well-liked among Labour&#39;s left-wing base and known for her straight-talking style.&nbsp;She issued a warning to Starmer prior to a crucial speech on Monday that many commentators said was underwhelming.&nbsp;The Guardian cited supporters as saying she was not set on being a candidate, but prepared for the possibility of a leadership run.&nbsp;The 46-year-old is an outlier in a country long dominated by a ruling class disproportionately educated at private schools and Oxford and Cambridge universities.&nbsp;She grew up in social housing in northern England, left school without a degree and became a single mother at 16.&nbsp;A trade unionist before being elected to parliament in 2015, she was elected as Labour&#39;s number two in 2020.&nbsp;YouGov polling agency ranked her the second most popular Labour politician after regional mayor Andy Burnham, also a potential challenger.&nbsp;An outstanding case over her tax affairs, which triggered her resignation last year, could hamper her chances, however.&nbsp;Rayner has three children. One of her sons has a serious disability.&nbsp;Andy BurnhamPopular regional mayor Andy Burnham has also long been seen as a potential rival to Starmer, although he has twice unsuccessfully stood for leader.&nbsp;The long-standing Labour politician, seen as representing its &quot;soft left&quot;, became an MP in 2001.&nbsp;He served a stint as minister for health under Gordon Brown before leaving parliament in 2017 to become mayor of Greater Manchester in northern England, where he has gained the nickname &quot;king of the North&quot;.&nbsp;The 56-year-old has twice been re-elected mayor, most recently in 2024 and has said that he does not identify as a Westminster insider.&nbsp;Burnham grew up in northern England and joined the Labour Party as a teenager before studying at the University of Cambridge.&nbsp;While an MP, he lost leadership races against Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn.&nbsp;He has openly opposed Starmer over welfare cuts and warned of a &quot;climate of fear&quot; in the party.&nbsp;Burnham could not immediately become leader because he would first need to become an MP by winning a by-election.&nbsp;The Labour party in January blocked Burnham from standing in an upcoming by-election, after he wrote about wanting to do so on X.&nbsp;Burnham has a Dutch-born wife and three children and told Huffington Post that he is &quot;Catholic by upbringing&quot; but &quot;not particularly religious now&quot;.&nbsp;Other possibilitiesWith a wide field of possible candidates, other potential choices could be existing ministers, who could take on the leadership as a &quot;caretaker&quot; role.&nbsp;Those under discussion include foreign minister Yvette Cooper, defense minister John Healey, energy minister Ed Miliband and a junior armed forces minister Al Carns.&nbsp;Miliband served as leader of the Labour Party in opposition after standing in a race against his own brother, David. He resigned after the party suffered a severe defeat in the 2015 election.&nbsp;An MP since 1997, Cooper, 57, has served as a minister under Starmer and Brown.&nbsp;Like Cooper an MP since 1997, Healey, 57, became defense minister under Starmer.&nbsp;Carns, a 46-year-old former commando, became an MP in 2024. The Independent wrote he is seen by some MPs &quot;as a leftfield candidate&quot;.

If UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigns, senior Labour ministers and prominent party figures are expected to compete for the leadership. The next leader would be chosen by Labour Party members rather than the general public.

Possible contenders if UK PM Starmer quits  

LONDON: British government ministers on Sunday backed embattled premier Keir Starmer as he struggles to shake off a scandal over long-time Jeffrey Epstein associate Peter Mandelson. Starmer is due to face lawmakers in parliament on Monday to explain how Mandelson was appointed Britain&#39;s ambassador to the United States in late 2024 despite failing to pass security checks. The prime minister, who has been dogged by the controversy for months, said Friday that he and other ministers were not told Mandelson had failed the vetting process, calling that &quot;unforgivable&quot;. He has blamed foreign office mandarins for allowing Mandelson&#39;s appointment against the advice of security officials, and sacked the department&#39;s top civil servant Olly Robins on Thursday. But ex-civil servants have accused Dowing Street of scapegoating Robbins while opposition leaders have called for Starmer to quit, with accusations ranging from incompetence to wilful misleading of the public. Technology minister Liz Kendall told the BBC on Sunday that Starmer would not have appointed Mandelson had he known that he had not received the appropriate security clearance. Deputy prime minister David Lammy, who was foreign secretary when Mandelson was appointed to Washington, said the same in an interview with the Guardian published late Saturday.&nbsp;&lsquo;Made the right call&rsquo;Kendall said Starmer should remain in his job because he had &quot;made the right call&quot; on big issues, such as building closer relations with the European Union and limiting Britain&#39;s involvement in the US-Israel war on Iran. &quot;I think he is an honest man and a man of integrity who says it was a mistake to appoint him,&quot; she told Sky News. Lammy said it was &quot;inexplicable&quot; that the foreign office had kept Downing Street in the dark, telling the Guardian he had been &quot;shocked and surprised&quot; when he learnt what happened. Starmer, already widely unpopular with the British public due to several policy mis-steps, has faced repeated questions about his judgement for selecting Mandelson whose friendship with Epstein was well known.&nbsp;Mandelson&rsquo;s sacking&nbsp;He sacked Mandelson in September 2025 after new details emerged about the depth of Mandelson&#39;s ties to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while facing sex-trafficking charges. UK police are investigating allegations of misconduct in office by Mandelson when he was a Labour minister more than 15 years ago. He was arrested and released in February. Mandelson has not been charged and denies criminal wrongdoing.

United Kingdom

Technology minister Liz Kendall says Starmer shall remain in his job because he has 'made the right call' on big issues, such as building closer relations with the European Union and limiting Britain's involvement in the Iran war.

UK ministers back Starmer amid fresh calls to quit

LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Friday he was &quot;furious&quot; after it emerged his sacked US ambassador&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/uk-top-official-to-step-down-over-exenvoys-failed-vetting-reports" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Peter Mandelson</a>&nbsp;was appointed despite failing security vetting, as the scandal again threatens his hold on power. The beleaguered British leader, who has been dogged for months by the controversy, claimed he and other ministers were not told Mandelson had failed the vetting process, branding that &quot;unforgivable&quot;. Starmer has faced repeated calls to quit since his 2024 decision to appoint Mandelson as Britain&#39;s top diplomat in Washington backfired spectacularly over the envoy&#39;s longstanding ties to late US sex offender&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/anil-ambani-sought-jeffrey-epsteins-help-on-usindia-defense-ties-nyt" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jeffrey Epstein</a>. Starmer sacked Mandelson in September, just seven months after taking up his post. A longtime insider with the ruling center-left Labour party, Mandelson had held multiple ministerial posts since the late 1990s, but was tarred by repeated scandals which earlier twice forced him out of office. &quot;That I wasn&#39;t told that he had failed (security vetting) when I was telling parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable,&quot; Starmer told broadcasters on Friday during a visit to Paris. &quot;Not only was I not told, no minister was told, and I&#39;m absolutely furious about that,&quot; he said, adding he would address parliament on Monday &quot;to set out all the relevant facts in true transparency&quot;. Top officials fired Starmer&#39;s government has blamed Foreign Office officials for allowing Mandelson&#39;s appointment to proceed &quot;against the recommendation of UK Security Vetting&quot;, with the ministry&#39;s top civil servant, Olly Robbins, ousted late Thursday. The prime minister had &quot;lost confidence in him&quot; over the botched process, senior minister Darren Jones said. Parliament&#39;s main foreign affairs watchdog committee said Friday it has requested Robbins give evidence about the issue next Tuesday. Despite the government&#39;s stance, The Independent newspaper reported last September of &quot;serious concerns&quot; Mandelson &quot;did not clear security vetting for the role but the prime minister pushed through his appointment anyway&quot;. Five months later, Starmer insisted publicly Mandelson had passed vetting. Calls for the UK leader to resign have intensified, with the leaders of all the UK&#39;s main opposition parties urging him to quit since The Guardian first reported the security vetting story Thursday. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch wrote on X that &quot;Starmer has betrayed our national security. He should go&quot;. Jones denied Starmer was at risk, claiming &quot;the public can see in Keir Starmer that they have a strong, credible leader who has influence on the world stage&quot;. The ambassador to Washington is seen as Britain&#39;s most prestigious and most important diplomatic post, in charge of nurturing the so-called &quot;special relationship&quot; with the United States. Earlier in the year, two of Starmer&#39;s top political aides resigned as the scandal grew. Police probe Starmer himself has faced repeated judgement questions over selecting Mandelson. He has accused the ex-envoy of lying about the extent of his ties to Epstein during the vetting process. Starmer fired Mandelson as ambassador after documents released by a US Congressional committee revealed new details about the depth of his ties to Epstein. Police have now opened an investigation into allegations of misconduct in office by Mandelson, who was arrested and released on bail in February. He has not been charged and denies criminal wrongdoing. The force is investigating Mandelson over allegations he leaked sensitive documents to Epstein when he was a government minister, including during the 2008 financial crash. The advice submitted to Starmer in December 2024 noted a series of reports detailing Mandelson&#39;s links with Epstein, who was convicted of sex crimes in Florida in 2008, including soliciting a minor. It said their relationship &quot;continued across 2009-2011&quot;, beginning when Mandelson was a government minister and continuing after the UK&#39;s last Labour government ended in 2010. It also noted that Mandelson &quot;reportedly stayed in Epstein&#39;s house while he was in jail in June 2009&quot;. Lawmakers earlier this year ordered the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/who-is-shabana-mahmood-the-hardline-uk-labour-minister-tackling-migration" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Labour government</a>&nbsp;to release tens of thousands of emails, messages and documents detailing how Mandelson was vetted for the role. The second tranche of documents is expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to the media at the airport in Doha, Qatar on April 10, 2026. (AFP)

The British leader stated he and other ministers were not told Peter Mandelson had failed the vetting process, branding that "unforgivable".

British PM says 'furious' after fresh revelations over sacked US envoy

LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday condemned a suspected arson attack on a mosque in an English coastal town, which police were investigating as a hate crime. No one was injured. The fire on Saturday night came two days after two men were killed when a knife-wielding assailant attacked their synagogue in Manchester on the holiest day of the Jewish year, in what authorities have called a terrorist assault. One of the victims was accidentally shot by an armed officer as he and other congregants barricaded the synagogue to block the attacker from entering. Starmer&rsquo;s spokesperson said that the prime minister was &ldquo;appalled by the arson attack in Peacehaven.&quot; &ldquo;As the home secretary said, attacks against Britain&rsquo;s Muslims are attacks against all Britons and this country itself,&quot; the spokesperson said, adding that &quot;anti-Muslim hatred has no place in Britain.&rdquo; Emergency services responded to reports of a fire at the Peacehaven Mosque at around 9:45 p.m. (2245 GMT) Saturday. The front entrance of the mosque and a vehicle parked outside were damaged, but no one was injured, according to Sussex Police. Footage from the incident, released Sunday by police, shows two balaclava-clad people approach the front door of the mosque, before spraying accelerant on the entrance and igniting a fire. Detective Inspector Gavin Patch said police were treating the fire as arson with intent to endanger life. Evidence from the scene suggested it was started deliberately, according to the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. Detectives on Monday were hunting for two suspects. &ldquo;This was an appalling and reckless attack which we know will have left many people feeling less safe,&rdquo; Patch said. There has been an increased police presence at the scene and other places of worship across Sussex, a region in southeastern England, to provide reassurance, Sussex Police said. It said the incident isn&#39;t currently being treated as terror-related. Political and religious leaders condemned the attack. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the attack was &ldquo;deeply concerning&rdquo; and urged people to &ldquo;stand united.&rdquo; &ldquo;This hateful act does not represent our community or our town,&rdquo; a spokesperson for Peacehaven mosque said. &ldquo;Peacehaven has always been a place of kindness, respect, and mutual support, and we will continue to embody those values.&rdquo; Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, also condemned the attack, adding that &ldquo;every faith community has the right to worship free from fear.&rdquo; The attacks come amid high tensions over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been held regularly across the U.K. since the start of Israel&rsquo;s military offensive in Gaza. The protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful, but some people say they have allowed antisemitism to spread. Some Jews say they feel threatened by chants such as &ldquo;From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.&rdquo; A handful of pro-Palestinian protesters have been arrested for supporting Hamas, which is banned in the U.K. On Saturday, about 1,000 people gathered in Trafalgar Square to protest against the banning of Palestine Action, a direct action group that has vandalized British military planes and targeted sites with links to the Israeli military. It has been labeled a terrorist organization by the government, making support for the group illegal. A day later, hundreds of people waving Israeli and British flags rallied in London and Manchester to mark nearly two years since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, demand the hostages&rsquo; release and mourn the victims of Thursday&#39;s synagogue attack.

A suspected arson damaged a mosque in Peacehaven, England, with no reported injuries. Police are investigating it as a hate crime amid heightened tensions after a deadly synagogue attack.

Articles tagged with "UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer"

UK health minister quits amid leadership challenge to Prime Minister Starmer

Possible contenders if UK PM Starmer quits

UK ministers back Starmer amid fresh calls to quit

British PM says 'furious' after fresh revelations over sacked US envoy

UK prime minister condemns suspected arson at mosque in England