Starmer Would Lose Leadership Contest To Streeting Burnham Rayner Miliband

Keir Starmer would lose a Labour leadership contest against Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner, Ed Miliband or Andy Burnham, a poll of party members has revealed.

In a further blow to the embattled prime minister, the survey suggested he is at risk if he is challenged by any of his main rivals.

The question of Starmer’s leadership burst into the open last week when No.10 sources briefed journalists that he would take on any challengers, and accused Streeting of plotting against him.

The poll, by Survation for the LabourList website, showed that Burnham is the most likely to beat the PM in a head-to-head, by 58% to 32%.

However, such a contest is highly unlikely given there is no imminent prospect of the Manchester mayor becoming a Labour MP.

Rayner, the former deputy leader who was forced to resign for not paying enough tax, would also comfortably defeat the prime minister, by 52% to 33%.

A contest between Starmer and either Miliband or Streeting would be much closer, however.

The climate secretary would win by 44% to 40%, the poll suggested, while the health secretary would beat him by 33% 31%, albeit with 36% of members undecided over which way they would jump.

However, Starmer would beat education secretary Bridget Phillipson, deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell and home secretary Shabana Mahmood in any hypothetical contest, according to the poll.

Emma Burnell, editor of LabourList, said the poll showed the party’s members were “openly questioning” Starmer’s leadership.

She said: “Starmer’s team have made it clear that he would contest a leadership contest were one to arise. Of course, that was a week ago and we all know that’s a long time in politics.

“It may well be that if it came to it, Starmer would decide a contest in which he ran – and was possibly defeated – was too damaging to the party in the long term.”

She added: “At the moment this is all speculation, but it is speculation the leadership have invited with their own briefings about Streeting.

“This conversation has gone from mildly discontented whispers to very real speculation as a result.

“This is the first polling of the Labour membership on this question since it burst into the open. It is clear that they are now openly questioning if Starmer is still the right person to lead the party. ”