Streeting leaves No 10 after brief meeting as Labour crisis deepens

Wes Streeting’s 16-minute visit to Number 10 landed as more than a hurried diary slot. With Labour racked by resignations, poor local election results and growing unrest among its own MPs, the health secretary’s brief, tightly managed meeting with Keir Starmer looked like a sign of how hard Downing Street is trying to contain the political damage.

Streeting ignored shouted questions from journalists as he left No 10, underscoring the message discipline around a meeting that came just before the King’s Speech later the same morning. The timing mattered. Parliament’s State Opening on Wednesday 13 May 2026 marked the formal start of the parliamentary year, and the government was preparing to put its agenda in front of both houses of Parliament after weeks of mounting pressure.

Starmer was facing nearly 90 calls from Labour MPs to resign after a bruising sequence of setbacks. Four government ministers resigned on Tuesday, including Home Office minister Jess Phillips, and six parliamentary private secretaries also quit. That followed Labour’s loss of almost 1,500 council seats in England in the local elections, a result that has deepened the sense that the government has lost momentum barely a year into the parliament.

The King’s Speech was expected to set out more than 35 bills and draft bills, with the government saying its priorities include cutting the cost of living, reducing hospital waiting lists and keeping the country safe in an increasingly dangerous world. But the political backdrop threatened to overshadow the legislative reset, turning what should have been a set-piece moment into another test of authority for Starmer.

Streeting’s presence at No 10 drew attention because he is seen as a major contender in any future Labour leadership contest. Allies have denied he is plotting a coup, but the brevity of the meeting, and the fact that it happened in the shadow of a wider cabinet and party revolt, will inevitably fuel speculation about internal negotiations and contingency planning.

Another possible rival, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, has also been drawn into the conversation, though he would first need to enter the House of Commons through a by-election. For now, the most immediate signal from Downing Street was not about who moves next, but about how fragile the current settlement has become.