The internal crisis of the British Labour Party took a leap of enormous political significance this Thursday after Wes Streeting resigned as Shadow Health Secretary in Keir Starmer's government, in a move already interpreted in Westminster as the start of an open battle for the Labour leadership.
The resignation comes after a week of growing tension within the Labour Party following the heavy blow suffered in the local elections held in the United Kingdom, where the advance of Reform UK and the leadership of Nigel Farage has triggered doubts about Starmer's ability to keep the party united and to arrive strengthened at the next general election.
In his resignation letter, Streeting states that he has lost confidence in the current leader and believes that Starmer "will not lead the party" in the next electoral contest, according to British media such as The Guardian.
The now former Shadow Health Secretary also calls for a "broad" internal debate on the party's ideological direction and electoral strategy at a time of increasing fragmentation of the progressive vote and the rise of populist and nationalist forces.
Political blow for Starmer
Streeting's departure represents one of the biggest internal challenges Starmer has faced so far since coming to power and threatens to open a leadership crisis with unpredictable consequences for the British government.
Although Streeting has not yet officially announced a candidacy to replace Starmer, various sectors of the Labour party take for granted that the resignation seeks to accelerate a possible internal contest and increase pressure on Downing Street.
Some allies of the former minister even claim that there would already be sufficient support within the Labour parliamentary group to formally initiate a succession process.
Pressure on Starmer has increased particularly after the setback suffered by Labour in the recent local elections, where Reform UK managed to capitalize on some of the social discontent with the British government's economic, immigration, and public services management.
Who is Wes Streeting
Streeting has been considered for years one of the most promising figures within the British Labour party. Coming from the party's more moderate wing, Streeting had gained political weight during his time leading the Ministry of Health, especially due to his reformist profile and his defense of structural changes in the NHS.
His name had been appearing for months in internal predictions as a possible replacement for Starmer in case of electoral deterioration of the Labour leadership.
How Starmer's replacement could occur
The British Labour Party has internal mechanisms to force a change in leadership, although the process depends largely on political pressure within the parliamentary group.
If a sufficient portion of Labour MPs lose confidence in Starmer, an internal leadership contest could be opened in which different candidates backed by MPs and the party's grassroots would participate.
In that scenario, Starmer could choose to resign voluntarily or resist until a formal internal vote.
Among the names that already appear in Labour predictions are Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, Minister Ed Miliband, and Streeting himself, now the main focus of the internal rebellion against the current Labour leader.