What to know about contenders who could replace Keir Starmer as Britain's Labour leader

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership is on the rocks after his Labour Party suffered heavy defeats in local elections last week.

It may be the final straw for a leader already tainted by his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington despite the veteran politician’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Dozens of Labour lawmakers have called for Starmer to step down and make way for a contest to pick a new leader, who would take over as prime minister.

Starmer has insisted he is staying put, and no formal leadership challenge has yet been launched.

While there is no clear frontrunner to replace Starmer, here are some of the leading contenders for the top job:

Wes Streeting

Health Secretary Wes Streeting, 43, is widely regarded as one of the government’s best communicators and has led on one of the government’s key pledges, improving the creaky National Health Service.

His ambitions for the top job were long rumored but entered the spotlight last year when Starmer’s allies allegedly told British media that the prime minister would fight attempts to challenge his leadership — and media speculation at the time centered on Streeting.

Streeting, who was elected a lawmaker in 2015, strongly denied he was plotting to replace Starmer and called the suggestions “nonsense.”

Angela Rayner

Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has long set herself apart as a different kind of politician with a compelling personal story. She was brought up in social housing and left school at 16 as a teen mother.

Rayner, 46, was active in trade unions before she was elected a lawmaker in 2015 and is on the left of the party. She soon rose to Labour’s senior ranks when the party was in opposition and was elected deputy leader in 2020.

Rayner enjoys significant support within the party, but she was forced to resign from the government last year after admitting she did not pay enough tax on a house purchase. She is still awaiting the findings of an official review of that controversy.

After the fallout over the Epstein files’ revelations on Mandelson, Rayner led a lawmakers’ revolt to force the government to cede control to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee to decide which documents should be released into the public domain.

Andy Burnham

Former Cabinet minister Andy Burnham, the popular, center-left Greater Manchester mayor, has long been seen as a potential rival for Starmer. But his leadership prospects were dented after Labour blocked him from standing as the party’s candidate for Parliament in a special election in February.

By longstanding convention, the prime minister must be a member of Parliament. Burnham's supporters favor a delayed leadership contest that would give him time to return to the House of Commons through a special election.

Burnham, 56, served in senior roles in previous Labour governments, including as culture secretary and health secretary.

Ed Miliband

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is a former Labour leader, but his five years at the top of the party when it was in opposition ended in the party's 2015 election defeat. Miliband, 56, has publicly played down any desire to return to the job, but he is one of the most experienced members of the Cabinet.

Shabana Mahmood

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, 45, has one of the toughest jobs in government, overseeing immigration and law and order. She has become a favorite of many on the right of the Labour Party with her moves to tighten border controls and crack down on unauthorized immigration.