‘When will he take responsibility and go?’ Who could replace Starmer

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The prime minister is clinging onto his job, having sacked senior civil servant Sir Olly Robbins, claiming he was not informed the peer had failed tests prior to his appointment last year.

Labour MPs have since raised questions about Sir Keir after Sir Olly told a committee of MPs that No 10 had insisted the foreign office overruled the concern of the UK Security Vetting.

At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir was challenged by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and admitted that appointing Mandelson was “a mistake, my mistake”.

But he said that he was cleared by Sir Olly’s admission that he had not shared the intel with the PM.

The evidence “puts to bed all the allegations levelled at me” in relation to misleading Parliament about Lord Mandelson appointment as US ambassador, Sir Keir told the Commons.

“It has not put to bed anything,” Ms Badenoch responded. “Sir Olly said that a dismissive attitude had been shown… He said that [there was a feeling] that Mandelson did not require any vetting at all. Why was the process not followed?”

She then asked: “Will he finally take responsibility and go?”Sir Keir denied he had pressured the civil service and pledged to carry on in his post. “Whatever noise they make, nothing is going to distract me from leading my country,” he said.

Labour now heads into the local elections on May 7 with challenges from all sides of the political spectrum and wants to hang onto as many council seats as possible.

But while Sir Keir is still in post, a bad result at the polls might put further pressure on him to be replaced internally, with a field of possible candidates positioning themselves.

Who could replace Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister if he resigned?

Here are some of the oft-touted names in the frame and the odds on them succeeding Sir Keir.

All odds were correct as of 12.30pm on April 22.

Andy Burnham (Odds 13/2, according to Bet365 data from Oddschecker)

The 56-year-old is a long-time figure within the Labour party, having been MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester from 2001 to 2017.

Since May 2017, he has been Mayor of Greater Manchester - winning that election, and two subsequent votes in 2021 and 2024.

His achievements in the role include bringing the bus network under local government control, moving forward with a £300m housing fund, and launching the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate education path.

Mr Burnham cannot currently stand to be leader as he is not an MP, with Labour deciding against allowing him to run for the recent Gorton and Denton by-election.

Ed Miliband (13/2)

The energy secretary played a key role in the Government's resistance to get involved in the US strikes on Iran, having persuaded other members to join him in opposing British involvement.

A source told The Spectator: "He fundamentally doesn’t like Trump, and he doesn't like this Iran thing,” and he is said to have led the action before being backed by Cabinet colleagues.

This type of leadership has seen him emerge as a frontrunner for the position. It was once thought that Mr Miliband might have had his shot - having led Labour to a distant second in the 2015 election, having been party leader since 2010.

Wes Streeting (6/1)

A regular guest on Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Mr Streeting has won plaudits for his perceived common touch and engagement with the media. As health secretary, he has:

• Pushed for trans inclusive spaces,
• Committed to dealing with “junk information” online,
• And also stood against elements of doctors strikes, although they have still been held under his watch, despite offers being put on the table.

The Ilford North MP, 43, would be the first openly gay politician to reach the rank of prime minister if he was elected in what would be a major step forward in British LGBT history.

Angela Rayner (9/4)

Another longtime favourite, the former deputy prime minister, has recently said that Labour is “running out of time,” under her old boss. “As a party and a movement, we cannot hide.

We cannot just go through the motions in the face of decline,” she said during an event held by Mainstream, a left-wing think tank.

She is said to have prepared a £1m war chest for an election bid and it was also leaked that she has a website angled at a leadership tilt.

The Ashton-under-Lyne MP was forced out of her Cabinet position last summer after being found to have not paid sufficient stamp duty on her second home.

Shabana Mahmood (18/1)

The Birmingham Ladywood MP has done well under Sir Keir and was made justice secretary and Lord Chancellor after the election and was then made home secretary in September after a reshuffle.

Ms Mahmood would be the first female Labour leader and first Islamic PM if she was elected.

When asked about her ambitions at a Labour Party Conference, Ms Mahmood said: “You shouldn’t believe anyone in politics who says they’re not ambitious about the top job because they’re basically lying to you.”