Health secretary resigns as heavyweights position themselves for a possible contest Last updated: May 14, 2026 | 17:12 Britain's Health Secretary Wes Streeting (L) listens as Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech on a plan to reduce NHS waiting times, during a visit to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC) in Epsom, south-west of London on January 6, 2025. AFP British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced the gravest threat yet to his leadership on Thursday as unrest within the Labour Party spilled into open rebellion, with potential successors manoeuvring for position after the party’s bruising local election losses. The crisis deepened after Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned from the Cabinet in a move widely seen as the clearest sign yet that a leadership challenge against Starmer could be imminent. According to AP, Streeting accused the prime minister of lacking direction at a time of mounting political and economic pressure.…