How Keir Starmer's leadership rivals want to reverse Brexit, hike taxes and open up Britain's borders

Sir Keir is adamant he will not walk, instead insisting he will fight any rival looking to oust him from power. The Prime Minister's allies also warn Labour MPs backing a successor will bring instability to the UK, particularly on the economy.

So, what do the runners and riders to replace the Prime Minister really want to change about the country? GB News has found everything readers need to know.

Wes Streeting

Age – 43

Position – Ex-Health Secretary – July 2024 to May 2026

Constituency – Ilford North (majority of 528)

Faction – Labour Right

Wes Streeting's long-awaited resignation is perhaps the last stop of Labour's ongoing psychodrama before Sir Keir Starmer faces a leadership contest.

The now-former Health Secretary, who just yesterday welcomed a drop in NHS waiting lists, is expected to continue his push on the NHS if he wins the keys to No10.

Having already abolished NHS England, Mr Streeting is also being tipped to set NHS employment targets.

In his 987-word resignation letter, the Health Secretary also lashed out at Brexit.

Mr Streeting, who campaigned for a second referendum on EU membership, is planning to go further than Sir Keir by calling for the UK's return to the customs union.

“The best way for us to get more growth into our economy is a deeper trading relationship with the EU,” Mr Streeting said last December.

Immigration is another area where Mr Streeting could take a different approach to the current Labour Government.

The Ilford North MP took a broadside shot at the Prime Minister over his "islands of strangers" speech, later expressing concern about Shabana Mahmood's deportation strategy.

Mr Streeting's stance on the economy is still plagued by mixed signals.

He has admitted he is "really uncomfortable" with the UK's tax burden, while also acknowledging businesses were feeling the pinch.

However, Mr Streeting also floated the idea of equalising capital gains tax with income tax, replacing inheritance tax with a lifetime gifts tax and raising corporation tax.

In contrast to his rivals, Mr Streeting intends to fund day-to-day spending through tax revenues rather than borrowing.

Angela Rayner

Age – 46

Position – Ex-Deputy Prime Minister – July 2024 to September 2025

Constituency – Ashton-under-Lyne (majority of 6,791)

Faction – Soft Left

Angela Rayner's economic agenda appears to have one thing at the heart of it: tax rises.

A leaked memo showed the ex-Deputy Prime Minister had been calling for tax hikes of £4billion a year as an alternative to welfare cuts.

However, Ms Rayner has faced tax problems of her own, with the Ashton-under-Lyne MP being forced to settle a £40,000 unpaid stamp duty bill.

Having campaigned to stay in the EU in 2016, Ms Rayner was initially keen to show her Leave-voting constituents she had listened to them

She said in 2018: “People made the decision and you can’t keep going back saying: Would you like to answer it a different way?”

But Ms Rayner is now speaking out against the UK's departure from the EU, blaming Brexit for a £40billion blackhole and accusing Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of promising "the world the moon on a stick".

The 46-year-old, who made it to Labour's frontbench under Jeremy Corbyn, is also expected to adopt a softer approach on immigration.

She said in March: “The people already in the system, who made a huge investment, now fear for their future.

"They do not have stability and do not know what will happen.

“We cannot talk about earning a settlement if we keep moving the goalposts.

"Because moving the goalposts undermines our sense of fair play. It’s un-British."

Ed Miliband

Age – 56

Position – Energy Secretary – July 2024 to present

Constituency – Doncaster North (majority of 9,126)

Faction – Soft Left

Having already served as Labour leader, Ed Miliband is perhaps one of the better-known contenders to replace Sir Keir Starmer.

Labour's so-called "EdStones" ahead of the 2015 General Election set out his thinking at the time, including higher living standards for working families and controls on immigration.

The former Leader of the Opposition, who fell short of winning the keys to No10 in 2015, is now seen as a major proponent of net zero.

As Energy Secretary, Mr Miliband faces pressure over the costs of the push towards cleaner and greener energy.

However, the 56-year-old's underlying philosophy on reindustrialisation via clean power, planning reform and electrification of domestic heating and cars is a key cornerstone of Sir Keir's premiership.

Mr Miliband has also previously called for the top rate of income tax to be increased to 50p, flirted with a so-called mansion tax and looked at equalising capital gains tax.

The Doncaster North MP, who is facing a threat locally from Reform UK, surprisingly believes Labour needs to tone down its stance on immigration.

He is also expected to advocate for closer ties with the EU's single market and customs union.

Andy Burnham

Age – 56

Position – Greater Manchester Mayor – May 2017 to present

Constituency – Searching for a seat

Faction – New Labour switcher to Soft Left

​Having served in top posts during the New Labour years, GB News members might expect Andy Burnham to set out a moderate economic vision.

However, following his conversion while serving as Greater Manchester Mayor, Mr Burnham is not setting out a tax-hiking agenda.

A council tax raid on expensive homes in London and the South East and £40billion of borrowing to build council houses will undoubtedly worry pockets of the country.

Mr Burnham said: “There are people in homes in London that are [worth] double-figure millions paying less council tax than people here. It’s just not justifiable.”

However, the ex-Leigh MP also wants to introduce a 10 per cent starting rate for lower earners, while slapping a 50 per cent levy on top salary Britons.

Mr Burnham is also far more steadfast in his support for the European Union.

"Long term, I’m going to be honest, I’m going to say it... I hope in my lifetime I see this country rejoin," he told attendees at the Labour Party conference last September.

Mr Burnham also holds less steadfast views on the migrant crisis.

“I do have a concern about leaving people without the ability to settle," he said of Shabana Mahmood's reforms.

He is also particularly critical of the Home Secretary's efforts to quadruple the length of time asylum seekers must wait to gain permanent residency.

Al Carns

Age – 46

Position – Armed Forces Minister – September 2025 to present

Constituency – Birmingham Selly Oak (majority of 11,537)

Faction – Moderate

The Aberdeen-born former Royal Marine remains perhaps the most mysterious name being touted as a potential successor to Sir Keir Starmer.

Al Carns is the dark horse of the imminent contest, with his action man credentials garnering support across different wings of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

However, Mr Carns only entered frontline politics last July and had barely been a Labour member for two years before entering the House of Commons.

However, the Birmingham Selly Oak MP was said to have set out his stall in a lengthy article in Labour's spiritual bible, The New Statesman.

“What is the point of Labour if it does not represent Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent, Barnsley, Swansea and Aberdeen?” he wrote.

“What is the point of the Labour Party if it cannot replace despair and frustration with hope, stability and purpose?”