Labour MPs plot to block Angela Rayner's path to No10 as leadership prepare to topple Keir Starmer

Alice Tomlinson
Fri, 01 May 2026 12:33:17 +0000

Labour MPs have been accused of plotting to block Angela Rayner's path to No10 as leadership rivals prepare to topple Sir Keir Starmer after the upcoming local elections.

The former Deputy Prime Minister, who is still being investigated for her tax dealings, is understood to be laying the groundwork for a leadership challenge against Sir Keir.

Sir Keir is expected to face the biggest test of his premiership on May 7, with a disastrous night at the polls expected to trigger a leadership vote.

However, a group of Labour MPs have expressed fears about Ms Rayner succeeding Sir Keir, warning the party risks "sleepwalking" into her premiership if she manages to rally support.

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"A lot of us are saying 'anyone by Ange'," one minister told The Times.

Another Labour MP said there was a "big... 'anyone by Ange' sentiment".

Ms Rayner's critics within the Labour Party fear the ex-Housing Secretary would likely win the membership vote if she ended up in the top two spots in a leadership contest.

If in power, there are concerns Ms Rayner would shift the party to the left – including on immigration and spending.

Polling published this week revealed that only 15 per cent of Britons believe Ms Rayner would make a better leader than Sir Keir.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Wes Streeting is said to have already got the backing of more than 80 Labour MPs needed to mount a leadership challenge.

Mr Streeting, who is considered the main candidate of the Labour Right, remains under criticism due to his friendship with Lord Mandelson.

However, an ally of the Health Secretary told The Spectator: "What rumour could be worse than a tax-dodger?"

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Sir Keir's future in No10 could very much depend on the outcome of the 2026 Local Elections on May 7.

Polling guru Lord Hayward, who is also a Tory peer, is predicting a torrid night for the Prime Minister at the ballot box.

The forecast suggests Labour could lose three-in-four seats, with net losses standing at 1,850.

Such a result would prove far more catastrophic than Labour’s haul in the 2025 Local Elections, when Sir Keir’s candidate was defeated in just under two-in-three wards.

However, Kemi Badenoch is also expected to suffer defeat in around 600 wards for a second consecutive year.

The main beneficiaries will be Reform UK and the Green Party, Lord Hayward’s prediction has revealed.

Mr Farage looks poised to hoover up 1,550 seats, with a turquoise tsunami sweeping over councils outside of London.

Meanwhile, Zack Polanski’s Green Party is expected to sweep up a new set of predominantly urban seats with net gains of 500.

The Prime Minister will likely face criticism from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

Mr Burnham, who consistently flirts with returning to Westminster, told Bloomberg: “The politics we’ve pioneered as mayors: place first, not party first — that needs to go national, and so we do need to reform Westminster.

“I can’t remove the kind of feeling that someday I will try and go back. I’m not ruling it out.”

Sir Keir blocked Mr Burnham from standing as Labour's candidate in February's Gorton & Denton by-election.