{"id":5094,"date":"2026-04-21T18:39:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T18:39:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/?p=5094"},"modified":"2026-04-21T18:39:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T18:39:45","slug":"heres-who-could-replace-keir-starmer-if-he-is-removed-from-office-as-pm-faces-calls-to-resign-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/?p=5094","title":{"rendered":"Here&#8217;s who could replace Keir Starmer if he is removed from office as PM faces calls to resign"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div><!--$--><\/p>\n<p><h2>Not exactly spoiled for choice.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose drop-cap \">\n<p>With the UK government resembling more and more a fifth series of <em>The Thick of It<\/em>, one can only imagine the conversations going on in the back rooms of Downing Street and Whitehall.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Keir Starmer is already struggling in the Department of Popularity, with 70% of the UK believing the prime minister is doing a bad job, as per a YouGov study.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><!--\/$--><!--$--><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:0\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:1\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>This all comes in the wake of a disgruntled Labour party and mounting pressure from the opposition with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch calling for Starmer to resign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>So, with all this mind, we&#8217;ve picked out three people who we think could be the frontrunners to become the next prime minister if Keir Starmer does indeed find himself ousted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/greencastlemediagroup.bbvms.com\/p\/joe_uk_player\/c\/7257064.html\" class=\"absolute top-0 left-0 w-full h-full border-0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\" title=\"Video Player\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:2\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<p><h2>Wes Streeting <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>A frontrunner purely because his name has been mentioned the most, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has a solid foundation to challenge from.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>While Streeting has already denied a plan to challenge Starmer last year, he does seem to hold just enough approval to mount a challenge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>While not the favourite of the Labour Party, Streeting has a strong media presence, despite being the 20th most popular current Labour MP (down from 6th last year), as per YouGov data, although he lags behind fellow cabinet ministers Ed Miliband, David Lammy as well as former minister Angela Rayner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>If indeed Streeting does manage to mount a challenge, we could see Downing Street become Downing Streeting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:3\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>However, it is worth noting that, like many of Starmer&#8217;s cabinet, he has ties with the sacked Peter Mandelson, potentially jeopardising a challenge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<p><h2>David Lammy<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>While not the most popular figure &#8211; 16th amongst Labour politicians &#8211; Lammy is still the Deputy Prime Minister, making him the obvious next in line if the prime minister does resign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Lammy is a competent enough politician, previously holding office as foreign secretary and still being the justice secretary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<p><h2>Al Carns<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:4\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:5\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>A little known name until a few months back, Al Carns has emerged as a realistic contender for the premiership.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Carns is currently MP for Selly Oak in Birmingham and is a popular local figure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Reports from the Independent claim that Carns is a person Reform UK supposedly fears because of strong support in the business and third sectors as well as desires to scrap the Chagos Islands deal and take a tougher stance on immigration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>The Aberdeen-born politician was a Royal Marines colonel and has won the Military Cross.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:6\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:7\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>He also served in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>An ally of Farage\u2019s told\u00a0the Independent: \u201cWe are keeping a close eye on Al Carns. He would be a nightmare for Reform UK. He would basically neutralise all Nigel\u2019s attack lines with voters. Also he would come without any of the political baggage of others.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<p><h2>Angela Rayner, Yvette Cooper or Shabana Mahmood<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>All three have either served in this government&#8217;s cabinet or currently are, and are close allies of Starmer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:8\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>In the scenario Starmer steps down, he may support one of his closer colleagues in running for the PM role.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Angela Rayner, while having to step down from her role as deputy PM over underpaying stamp duty, she remains the second most popular Labour politician as per YouGov.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Meanwhile Yvette Cooper and Shabana Mahmood might be a feasible alternative purely because of less media attention than others.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>At the same time, Home Secretary Mahmood has presented a harder line on immigration in recent months, potentially appealing to a different section of society and showing characteristics of a strong leader.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<p><h2>Lucy Powell<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:9\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Despite her election to Deputy Leader of the Labour Party last year and speaking out against plans from the chancellor to raise income tax before the Autumn Budget, Powell remains a slight outsider.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>While she is a popular figure, Powell is yet to reach the prominence of the main frontbenchers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>However, her defiant comments in response to Rachel Reeves&#8217; reported plan to increase income tax last year suggested Powell could be one to take on the status quo, a key quality in anyone who wants to seize power from within.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, she spoke about the party sticking to its guns on the manifesto pledges it ran on before the general election last year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:a\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:b\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>She said: &#8220;If we&#8217;re to take the country with us then they&#8217;ve got to trust us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>&#8220;We want to make sure that ordinary working people are better off as a result of this Labour government and we&#8217;re putting more money back into the pockets of ordinary working people,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s what that manifesto commitment is all about. And that&#8217;s what this Budget will be about I&#8217;m sure.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>She added: &#8220;It&#8217;s really important we stand by the promises that we were elected on and that we do what we said we would do.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<p><h2>Andy Burnham <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:c\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Known as the &#8216;King of the North&#8217; the current mayor of Greater Manchester is by far the most popular Labour politician currently.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>However, an attempt to make his way into parliament was recently foiled by his own party, being blocked from running in the Gorton and Denton by-election.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Although unlikely, if Starmer does fall, there could be a scenario where a Burnham ally steps down from their seat to force a by-election and allow Burnham into parliament.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>This, however, would be long and tedious.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>This said, many would struggle to disagree that Burnham has done a solid job in Manchester, helping it become the fastest-growing city in the UK outside of London, although this was also helped by those before him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:d\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>However, there remains one key issue with Burnham, he&#8217;s not an MP, and, while it&#8217;s not a legal requirement, it is generally accepted that a PM must also be an MP for obvious reasons such as partaking in PMQs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:e\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>In order for this to happen, Burnham would need to win a by-election which is possible, but would either require convenient timing, or a current MP to step down.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Burnham is known to have previously clashed with Starmer while his past comments have left the door firmly ajar.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:f\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Asked by the BBC in September about whether or not he would challenge for Labour Party leadership, Burnham said that it was &#8220;up to the party&#8221; to decide while adding &#8220;we need to get people back behind the Labour government&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$?--><template id=\"B:10\"\/><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<p><h2>A new Labour leader?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>While calls for change at Number 10 continue to grow, there certainly is an increasing sentiment that Keir Starmer&#8217;s time as PM could be up.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"custom-prose  \">\n<p>Following the controversies that have plagued Starmer&#8217;s premiership, the boat continues to be rocked while the PM will be hoping there are no more icebergs lying in wait.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$--><\/div>\n<p>#Heres #replace #Keir #Starmer #removed #office #faces #calls #resign<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Not exactly spoiled for choice. With the UK government resembling more and more a fifth series of The Thick of It, one can only imagine the conversations going on in the back rooms of Downing Street and Whitehall. Keir Starmer is already struggling in the Department of Popularity, with 70% of the UK believing the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[201,1761,1025,897,1560,159,923,433,18,2282,3019,3005,898,1444],"class_list":{"0":"post-5094","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured","8":"tag-calls","9":"tag-faces","10":"tag-heres","11":"tag-keir","12":"tag-keir-starmer","13":"tag-labour","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-office","16":"tag-politics","17":"tag-removed","18":"tag-replace","19":"tag-resign","20":"tag-starmer","21":"tag-uk"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5094\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}