UK Gov't Faces Uncertainty Over PM     05/15 06:22

   

   LONDON (AP) -- The British government faces weeks of uncertainty as 
embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepares for a leadership challenge from 
the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, who can't formally 
launch his bid until he finds a way back into Parliament.

   Burnham's path to Westminster is far from certain. He will first have to 
overcome a strong challenge from the anti-immigrant Reform UK party in a 
special election for the parliamentary seat that was vacated to make way for 
him.

   British government borrowing costs rose Friday and the pound weakened on 
investor concern about continued disarray at the heart of government. The pound 
has dropped 1.4% against the U.S dollar this week.

   Weeks of speculation about Starmer 's future broke into open rebellion 
within the governing Labour Party on Thursday as Burnham declared his intention 
to seek the top job and two other senior members positioned themselves for 
their own bids. The pressure to replace Starmer increased after Labour posted 
disastrous results in last week's local elections, losing votes to Reform UK on 
the right and the Green Party on the left.

   Housing Secretary Steve Reed on Friday appealed to party members to step 
back from the brink of a divisive leadership contest that he said would prevent 
the government from tackling issues like the cost of living crisis and bolster 
the prospects of Reform UK.

   "This weekend people just need to take a breath, look at what's gone wrong 
this week, and come back next week ready to do what we said we'd do -- country 
first, party second -- and focus on delivering the change we were elected to 
deliver," he told the BBC.

   Cabinet resignation adds pressure on Starmer

   That plea came after a week in which political jockeying overshadowed 
everything else in Westminster.

   After dozens of Labour members publicly called for Starmer to step down, 
Health Secretary Wes Streeting on Thursday became the first Cabinet minister to 
resign. While praising Starmer's "courage and statesmanship" in international 
affairs, Streeting said he had lost confidence in the prime minister's 
leadership because of missteps on domestic issues.

   "Where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have 
drift," Streeting wrote in a stinging resignation letter.

   "Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people 
falling on their swords," he added. "You also need to listen to your 
colleagues, including backbenchers, and the heavy-handed approach to dissenting 
voices diminishes our politics."

   Streeting stopped short of putting himself forward as the best candidate to 
lead the party at the next general election, suggesting Starmer should step 
aside to allow a "broad" field of candidates to debate the future of the party.

   That seemed to be a nod to Burnham, a former Cabinet minister who left 
Parliament in 2017 to run for mayor of Greater Manchester. Burnham has been 
looking for a way to return to the House of Commons so he can challenge Starmer 
for the top job.

   Josh Simons, a Labour lawmaker from Northern England, provided that opening 
on Thursday by resigning his seat explicitly to open up a seat for Burnham. But 
that was only the first step for Burnham. Before he can return to Westminster, 
Burnham must win a special election to represent Makerfield, a community where 
Reform UK posted strong results in last week's local elections.

   Burnham acknowledged these challenges on Thursday when he announced his 
candidacy for the seat.

   "I truly do not take a single vote for granted and will work hard to regain 
the trust of people in the Makerfield constituency, many of whom have long 
supported our party but lost faith in recent times," he said in a statement.