Wes Streeting, who resigned as British health secretary this week, announced on Saturday he will run to replace Keir Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister, after the party suffered disastrous local election results this month.

Streeting quit the government on Thursday with a withering assessment of Starmer's leadership, but no other senior minister followed suit and the 43-year-old MP did not immediately trigger a leadership contest.

Later that day, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham unveiled a bid to become an MP which, if successful, would allow the 56-year-old from the left of the party to stand in that contest.

While still not announcing he has kickstarted the formal leadership challenge process, Streeting confirmed Saturday he will vie to replace Starmer and become the centre-left Labour's new leader.

Explaining the lack of a formal contest launch, Streeting – from Labour's right-wing and long thought to covet the premiership – said he wanted "all of the candidates... on the pitch".

"If we had rushed ahead without giving Andy a chance to stand, the new leader, whether it was me or anyone else, would lack the legitimacy."

That contest is expected in mid-June at the earliest, meaning any formal leadership challenge is likely to be triggered afterwards.

Whoever leads the ruling party, which has a big majority in Britain's parliament, will by default become prime minister.

Meanwhile it appears Streeting, who delivered a wide-ranging speech at the think tank event, has kicked off a leadership campaign in all but name.

Setting out a fledgling policy platform, he said Brexit was "a catastrophic mistake" and that Britain must pursue a "new special relationship" with the European Union.

He signalled he wanted to see the country rejoin the trade bloc in the future. (AFP)


Edited by Tony Sabine