Politics
Starmer challenge labelled a stitch up by Burnham supporters
On 9 May, we reported that little-known Labour MP Catherine West was threatening to challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership. Since then, a lot of shit has hit a lot of different fans, with left-leaning politicians warning the proposal could lead to a coup for the Labour right. Among them is Richard Burgon, who has likened West’s plan to a “palace coup”:
Keir Starmer needs to go.
But not through a Cabinet stitch-up or palace coup.
And not through a snap leadership election run under rule changes designed by Morgan McSweeney/Labour Together in order to hand someone like Wes Streeting a coronation. My full interview on Sky. pic.twitter.com/qgrc8DrHhJ
— Richard Burgon MP (@RichardBurgon) May 10, 2026
Go West
It was widely predicted that Starmer would face a leadership challenge if Labour performed badly in the local elections. When a challenge failed to materialise, West took matters into her own hands.
In a statement published to X/Twitter, West said:
Across the country yesterday, so many hard working Labour Councillors lost their seats through no fault of their own. I want to thank them for their service and dedication.
I was honoured to serve under Keir Starmer’s leadership, both in opposition and in Government. All of us in the Labour Party are thankful to Keir for the 2024 General Election and the good work since. I personally get on well with Keir.
But his approach is not cutting through, and the results over the past 48 hours are nothing short of disastrous. Unless things change, we risk Nigel Farage becoming Prime Minister.
That’s why, with regret and significant sadness, I firmly believe that Keir should outline his intention to resign as Prime Minister and oversee an orderly transition.
The Labour Party need the chance to have an honest conversation about how we deliver the change we promised in 2024, and that requires new leadership which understands the urgent and real concerns of people across the UK.
Keir has demonstrated significant leadership on the world stage and is well placed to represent the UK’s national interest while this process takes place and may even continue in an international role in the future but for now I know I speak for more Labour people than just myself in wanting him to step aside as our Leader.
West also threatened to put herself forwards as a ‘stalking horse’ candidate – i.e. a candidate who wants to kick off a leadership race but doesn’t want to become the leader themselves:
Unexpected stalking horse?
Labour MP Catherine West: “I don't have a candidate, and that's part of the problem. But I think there are several people who would like to do it who have been planning for months. But I'm very surprised that none of them has popped up today to say: "I… https://t.co/qdneGERGJw
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) May 9, 2026
West would later suggest that maybe she could see herself becoming PM:
Catherine West’s interview round is going down extremely badly with some MPs across the factional divide
People are stunned by this quote: “You know what sometimes happens to stalking horses? They become the candidate”
Which seems to suggest she thinks she could really be PM
— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) May 9, 2026
Starmer — The response
As Aubrey Allegretti reported, West’s intervention went down poorly with Starmer’s loyalists:
Bit of a row in the London PLP WhatsApp group chat, as anger builds over losses in the capital.
Catherine West – a former minister – writes: “I have asked Anna Turley as Chair of the Party for a reassurance that she has a plan for an orderly arrangement of change at the top of the party.”
Steve Reed replied, saying that doomscrolling through leaders would be “madness”.
West wrote back: “It can be orderly or disorderly but it’s happening Steve.”
Steve Reed is the housing minister who Starmer deployed to smear the Greens as antisemites in the local election campaign:
Is Steve Reed implying Zack Polanski is an antisemite??? Really? Say it with your whole chest, coward.
2 years in govt & 6 years running Labour, this all they have. No track record, no ideas, no hope. The death throes of an unlawful, vile project; the muscle memory of punching… https://t.co/MKd10B4isc
— The Fraud (@StarmertheFraud) May 5, 2026
Reed’s campaign did not prove to be effective, but Reed is sticking to it, because the only thing the Labour right are good at is attacking the left:
Steve Reed told the BBC this morning that Labour needs to 're-adjust' after its humiliating local election drubbing, only to then keep smearing the Greens
by @skwawkbox https://t.co/HgbOw534hn
— Canary (@TheCanaryUK) May 8, 2026
Steve Reed, a key figure in the political project that seized control of the Labour party & brought it to this point, says yesterdays results are what happens at this point in a 5 year parliamentary cycle.
They'd rather burn the party to the ground than change direction. pic.twitter.com/OiMaUYXIi3
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) May 8, 2026
Back to the West saga, her plan also proved unpopular with Andy Burnham and his backers. Everyone knows that Burnham wants to challenge Starmer to become PM, but he can’t right now because he isn’t an MP:
[@Tony_Diver] https://t.co/vF6vhuGbwd
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) May 9, 2026
I’m sorry for people who had a big plan about particular candidates who one day will be, you know, an MP and all that sort of thing… I really like Andy, but he’s not here on the spot, so he can’t really do it
Her point is undeniable. And although Burnham is reportedly scheming to return, we know Starmer would try to block him, just like he did last time. The question is if he could get away with it twice; especially as cabinet members are reportedly willing to use their position to secure the return of the king of the North:
On Andy Burnham:
* Allies say seat has "100%" been lined up
* Private polling they've conducted reassures them he will win any by-election
* Keir Starmer will be told to make statement he can run. If he refuses a leadership challenge, backed by Ministers, will be triggered
— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) May 9, 2026
Burnham also has support from left-wing Labour MPs like Clive Lewis:
"Keir Starmer is completely out of touch with reality"@labourlewis is backing Andy Burnham as the person to prevent a Reform govt. pic.twitter.com/b9vill7teh
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) May 10, 2026
So, key Labour insiders clearly want Burnham as PM. The question is if the other challengers – Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner – can be held back until then.
Challengers approaching
— As Bloomberg reported last night the Ed Miliband / Lou Haigh / Tribune faction wants “delay then Andy,” putting off a contest until Burnham is in Parliament. They favour him to Rayner.
— But the big flaw in this plan is it may incentivise Streeting and Rayner to move now before Burnham is in. All eyes are on whether Streeting and Rayner will go over the top in the coming days, perhaps after Keir Starmer’s Monday speech, which will surely never be able to meet the demands of Labour MPs.
There is particular speculation that the Wes Streeting camp is happy to use West’s stalking horse challenge to get their man into the race:
Senior MP texts to tell me that “everyone sensible” is trying to get Catherine West to withdraw. “It’s completely irresponsible”. MP also says they think Streeting allies will lend votes to West to try trigger race
— Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) May 9, 2026
The fact that West will reportedly have enough support to launch a leadership challenge does suggest that supporters of Streeting or Rayner are willing to get behind her. After all, there isn’t a contingent of West loyalists (not that we know of anyway):
Labour MP says he is "almost certain" Catherine West will have the 81 MPs she needs to trigger a leadership election on Monday. https://t.co/fMaH9km4WL
— Kevin Schofield (@KevinASchofield) May 9, 2026
‘Frustrations’
Richard Burgon of the Labour left, meanwhile, had this to say:
I do understand Catherine West’s deep frustrations. They are shared by a large number of MPs and Labour members who feel we cannot go on like this and that Keir needs to go – as I have also called for.
But I can’t support the proposals she explained on TV this morning.
Catherine’s stated preference is for a Cabinet stitch-up – a kind of palace coup.
That would mean the very people who sat back and allowed terrible decisions like the winter fuel and disability cuts to happen end up deciding the future of the party. That will not be seen by the public as a clean break.
Catherine says that if there isn’t a Cabinet deal, she will trigger an immediate leadership election. I fear there’s a real danger that, whatever her good intentions, her move will be exploited by people on the right of the party who want a coronation and not a proper democratic contest in the party.
It may even be that those people help secure the 81 nominations needed to kickstart any leadership race.
What we need instead is for Keir to set a date for his departure, followed by a full and proper democratic contest that can look at what went wrong and how we change course to win back trust and support, with a broad range of candidates and viewpoints represented.
And that process has to involve all MPs, not just the Cabinet, as well as trade unions and party members, all of whom must have a democratic voice in choosing Labour’s future direction.
Keir Starmer Drama
At this point, it seems like anything could happen. Well, anything besides Keir Starmer staying in power, obviously.
As limp as this current incarnation of Labour is, even they can’t be weak enough to allow Starmer to slowly destroy the party – if only because Catherine West won’t let them.
Featured image via Parliament
By Willem Moore
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