The crisis facing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is deepening further. Reports have now emerged that his Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, is preparing to resign. It is suggested that, upon resigning, he may enter the race to oust Starmer from the premiership. Following the ruling Labour Party’s defeat in local elections, several other ministers have already resigned, demanding Starmer’s departure.

The news of Streeting’s potential resignation was first reported by The Times. Their report states that he could step down and challenge for the leadership as early as tomorrow, Thursday. If this occurs, the government’s legislative agenda—which King Charles outlined in the UK Parliament today, Wednesday—may never see the light of day. However, Streeting’s office declined to comment when asked about the resignation reports.

Earlier, Streeting visited 10 Downing Street to meet with Starmer. However, his office provided no details regarding that meeting. Now, should he resign and secure the support of 81 Labour MPs, he would be eligible to formally challenge for the party leadership. This move could also encourage other potential rivals to enter the contest; among them is former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

Starmer had hoped to use the government’s legislative agenda—presented today by King Charles—to consolidate his own leadership. However, more than 90 of his own party’s MPs believe the agenda offers little in the way of new initiatives. These are the same MPs who have been demanding that Starmer announce a timeline for his resignation. According to these parliamentarians, if Starmer remains at the helm, a Labour Party defeat in the next general election—due by 2029—is all but inevitable.