The pressure on British Prime Minister Starmer is increasing. The resignation of the health minister has exacerbated the government crisis, and the boss of Downing Street 10 cannot afford more resignations. How will this drama develop?
The pressure on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, has been growing for months and is already reaching critical levels. However, Starmer refuses to resign. It is not known whether he will be removed, but the crisis is intensifying. In the meantime, his possible successors are already being discussed, writes the DPA news agency, quoted by ARD.
A week after the disastrous results of the municipal and local elections in Britain o - in protest against the prime minister. But the biggest threat to Starmer may come from his domestic political rival Andy Burnham, who is seen as a contender for the position of the unstable party leader. The mayor of Manchester has announced that he will run for parliament.
What are the accusations against Starmer?
The current criticism of Starmer is due to his party's poor performance in the recent municipal and regional elections. But there were calls for his resignation before that, the German public media recalls - among other things, because of the appointment last year of Epstein's now-replaced confidant Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States.
The Labour government is also being criticized for the weak economy, the high cost of living and the poor state of public services. Voters accuse Starmer of failing to deliver on his campaign promises, writes ARD.
Is Starmer finished?
It was expected that after his resignation, Health Minister Streeting would directly try to take over the party leadership. But so far, this has not happened. Starmer has successfully retained his post, but this could prove difficult if other ministers also resign.
Starmer's big problem is that he cannot do his job as prime minister due to insufficient support in his faction, says Sky News reporter Sam Coates in an analysis. “This cannot go on like this for long”, ARD quotes him as saying.
Coates gives examples of bills introduced by Starmer that are not applicable without the support of the faction. The reporter also says that Starmer is increasingly becoming the head of a "zombie government".
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, who, according to media reports, are supporters of the prime minister's resignation, are considered a threat to him. If the home secretary resigns, it would mean the end of the Starmer era, writes the German public media.
Who could succeed Starmer?
The ambitious former health minister Streeting is considered the second main candidate for the leadership position. He is considered to be on the right wing of the Labour Party, while the left camp hates him, notes the ARD.
The mayor of Manchester Burnham is considered to have a better chance. At the moment, he is the most popular Labour politician in the country, and Starmer's biggest competitor. Burnham left parliament ten years ago after an unsuccessful attempt to reach the top of the party. Labour MP Josh Symons has meanwhile given up his parliamentary mandate in favour of Burnham. This will allow him to run for a parliamentary seat, which is a prerequisite for the prime ministerial candidacy.
Former deputy prime minister Angela Raynor has also been mentioned as a possible successor to Starmer. She is from the left wing of the party and had to resign in September last year due to a tax scandal. Before that, she was the leading figure of the left-wing Labour camp.
Burnham or Streeting?
The 56-year-old mayor of Manchester Burnham is known both as a down-to-earth man and as a bold visionary, he is described as a star and the “King of the North”, informs ARD. But at the same time, he explains that he will first have to win his seat in parliament, and in his constituency, the positions of Nigel Farage's right-wing populist party are very strong, i.e. the game will be risky.
Streeting is 43 years old, but has extensive political experience - he has been an MP since 2015. But he maintains close relations with the veteran Labour Party member Peter Mandelson, who is associated with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. ARD notes that the question remains open to what extent Streeting and his supporters have included Burnham's possible return in their calculations.