Leading challenger to PM Starmer quits UK government | CNN

Wes Streeting has resigned as Britain’s health secretary, saying Thursday that he has “lost confidence” in Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership and that it would be “dishonourable and unprincipled” to remain in his government. The move comes after days of speculation about whether Streeting would formally challenge Starmer’s leadership of the Labour Party. In his letter to the prime minister, Streeting announced his resignation from government, but did not say that he was launching a leadership contest. In order to trigger that contest, Streeting needs to gain the support of one fifth of Labour’s members of parliament (MPs) – at present, 81 lawmakers. In the wake of Streeting’s resignation, Starmer appointed James Murray, former chief secretary to the treasury, as the new health secretary. Starmer has been facing a revolt in his Labour Party since it suffered a drubbing in local elections in England and parliament in Scotland and Wales last week, which has spurred nearly 90 Labour lawmakers to publicly call for him to resign. Streeting is the first member of Starmer’s cabinet to resign since the mutiny began. In his letter, Streeting said last week’s ele