Wes Streeting resigns as health secretary, as UK premier faces growing calls for resignation

Wes Streeting on Thursday resigned as UK health secretary amid mounting pressure on the British premier following the election defeat.

In his resignation letter, Streeting said he has lost confidence in Keir Starmer's leadership.

"Where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift," he said in the letter published through US social media company X.

He added: "It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election."

Streeting noted that what comes next should be "a battle of ideas ... it needs to be broad, and it needs the best possible field of candidates."

Meanwhile, citing sources, British daily The Guardian reported that Streeting has enough support to challenge Starmer, though he is still hoping the prime minister will resign.

A source close to Streeting said he had the numbers, but "things are shifting."

But allies said he was still hoping to avoid moving directly against Starmer and that an increasing number of lawmakers were privately asking the prime minister to step down or set out a timetable for his departure.

Separately, Cabinet ministers told The Guardian it was untrue that they were planning to ask Starmer to step down on Thursday afternoon, accusing Streeting’s supporters of trying to “brief resignations into existence.”

It came after reports that Streeting was preparing a leadership challenge against Starmer, who has been under pressure from dozens of lawmakers calling for Starmer's resignation.

Challenger needs backing of 81 MPs

Under Labour Party rules, a leadership contest can begin either if the leader resigns or if 20% of Labour lawmakers nominate a challenger. Since Labour currently has 403 lawmakers in parliament, a candidate would need the backing of 81 lawmakers to formally launch a challenge.

Earlier this week, four junior ministers resigned from the Cabinet.

The pressure follows a series of damaging setbacks for Labour in last week's elections. In Wales, the party suffered a historic defeat in the Senedd elections, while in Scotland, the Scottish National Party retained power for a fifth consecutive term in the Scottish Parliament.

The elections, held across Scotland, Wales, and 136 English local authorities, were the largest electoral test since Labour’s landslide victory in the 2024 general election.

Since then, Starmer has expressed that he will "get on with governing" despite growing pressure over Labour’s recent election defeat and calls for him to resign.

However, more than 80 lawmakers, as well as some of his Cabinet members, have called for him to resign immediately, or set a timetable for his leave.