Former health secretary Wes Streeting also threatened to launch a leadership contest if the prime minister did not set out a timetable to step down

Andy Burnham may have trouble getting through to Keir Starmer if he tries ringing him after the Makerfield byelection to urge him to set a timetable for his departure. Burnham reportedly wants to call Starmer this weekend. (See 9.47am.) But, in his interview with Sky News, Starmer said: “I’m sure I’ll talk to Andy after the weekend.”

If Starmer declines to take Burnham’s call, he may be following Ed Miliband’s example. In a Times story today, Patrick Maguire and Steven Swinford report:

Sir Keir Starmer’s relationship with Ed Miliband has broken down to such an extent that the energy secretary has been accused of “ghosting” the prime minister in recent weeks.

Senior government sources claimed that Miliband declined to take calls from the prime minister during a tense stand-off over defence spending.

Some Labour MPs still want former mayor to face ‘scrutiny’ of ideas through contested leadership race

Allies of Andy Burnham are increasingly confident of a coronation-style transfer of power after the number of MPs backing him for the Labour leadership surged following his byelection victory.

Burnham and his team are understood to have spent the last few days enlisting the support of MPs and ministers, as he prepares to challenge Keir Starmer in the coming weeks.

Ex-defence secretary John Healey and ex-defence minister Al Carns have given resignation statements to MPs

Speaking to reporters at the G7, Keir Starmer also defended the defence investment plan (DIP) draft that led to John Healey’s resignation as defence secretary last week. Starmer confirmed that Dan Jarvis, the new defence secretary, is getting some input before the publication of the DIP in its final version.

Starmer said:

The position on investment in defence is firstly that we increased last year defence spending from 2.3% to 2.6%, that’s the biggest increase since the 1980s, and that means £270bn will be spent this parliament on defence.

On top of that [the] defence investment plan which obviously gives us capability for the future. We will put even more money in relation to that. I’ve been really clear that’s required difficult decisions, I have taken the decision to reallocate money from other departments.

LONDON, June 17 — Britain’s former health minister, Wes Streeting, said he would be prepared to trigger a Labour leadership contest to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister as soon as next week, urging a speedy end to the “uncertainty and paralysis”.

Streeting, who has said he has the backing of the 81 Labour lawmakers needed to trigger a challenge, told BBC Newsnight late on Tuesday he thought a contest should be initiated sooner rather than later.

But Starmer, speaking at the G7 summit in Evian, repeated on Wednesday that he would fight to stay in his job if a formal challenge was launched against his leadership.

“If there is a challenge, I intend to fight in any challenge to my leadership,” Starmer said.

“I don’t think there should be a challenge, because I think that is a bad thing for the country.”

The Labour Party is waiting to see if Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, can win a local election in Makerfield on Thursday to return to parliament, where he would become the frontrunner in any challenge to Starmer.

Streeting, who quit last month in protest at the prime minister’s record, said he wanted Starmer to take “time to reflect over the weekend and I think we should see where we are then”.

“I would prefer the PM to take a decision on his own terms rather than leave it for me or Andy or anyone else to trigger a contest... We can’t carry on with this uncertainty and paralysis.”

In a further blow to Starmer’s authority, the highly respected defence minister, John Healey, resigned last week, accompanied by a scathing critique of Starmer’s record in allocating funds to increase defence spending. — Reuters 

Exclusive: Former minister calls for urgent action against companies such as X that allow incitement to violence

Wes Streeting has called for Keir Starmer to take urgent action against X and other online platforms that have helped whip up social tensions, suggesting they should be forced to contribute to rebuilding costs after the riots in Belfast.

The intervention by the former health secretary, who is seen as a likely challenger to Keir Starmer in any leadership contest, comes after Downing Street said any response would be left to Ofcom, the media regulator, meaning no action is likely for at least two months.

Journalist and healthcare campaigner was driving force behind patient safety initiative after death of 13-year-old daughter

The healthcare campaigner and journalist Merope Mills has been made a CBE in the king’s birthday honours list for services to patient safety.

Mills, a senior editor at the Guardian, was a driving force behind the introduction of an initiative in England said to have potentially saved hundreds of lives. She has spent years campaigning for the introduction of Martha’s rule under which patients, relatives and staff can seek a second opinion if they have concerns about the care being provided.