 "British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers his keynote speech at Britain's Labour Party's annual conference in Liverpool, Britain, September 30, 2025. File Image/Reuters")
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would fight any challenge that may come his way to remove him from the chair, his allies have said. Starmer’s backers believe that his position is under threat, perhaps as soon as shortly after the Budget in a fortnight.
Friends of Keir are increasingly concerned about what they perceive as efforts to unseat him and are determined to emphasise the serious dangers they believe a leadership challenge would pose.
Talking to the BBC anonymously, one minister from Starmer’s Cabinet said, “He will fight this. He is one of only two people alive who have won a general election for Labour. It’d be madness to run against him after 17 months.”
Is there a coup forming?
Word on the street is that Starmer is likely facing coup attempts to replace him, with several ministers already being named as his potential successors.
Starmer has faced months of speculation about a potential leadership challenge, as Labour’s poll numbers continue to slide under his direction. Sources have told The Independent that Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been positioning himself as a possible successor. At the same time, allies inside No 10 are reportedly worried that Starmer’s job may be in jeopardy.
Speculation about the prime minister’s future has intensified after Labour slipped to fifth place in one poll, falling behind the Greens. The party has struggled to regain momentum following its sharp decline in support after winning the election and is now polling below 20 per cent on average, while Reform UK has surged past 30 per cent.
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View AllWhich names are in the fray?
Apart from Streeting, insiders have told multiple UK media outlets that defence secretary John Healey is being put forward as “a continuity candidate” and “safe pair of hands”.
Other names that are making rounds are those of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and energy secretary Ed Miliband.
“It’s terrible. He [Starmer] is hated out there. It is worse than it got under Corbyn. I don’t see how this is sustainable until May,” one minister told the BBC.
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