West on Saturday stunned Westminster by saying she would trigger a Labour leadership contest unless Starmer’s Cabinet moved against him by Monday. But she backed away from that threat in a letter sent to Labour MPs shortly after Starmer said he has no plans to resign during a speech in London.
“It gives me a little bit of a breather, take stock and this way you’re formally asking somebody that they think there should be a change, so it’s a step before that. For new MPs, for example, it’s far less threatening to say you want that,” West said.
Her U-turn gives potential leadership challenger Andy Burnham, who does not currently have a seat in Westminster and is the mayor of Greater Manchester, time to return to parliament as an MP.
Angela Rayner, another potential contender, also still has to resolve the tax issue that forced her resignation as deputy prime minister.
In another boost to Burnham, Rayner told an audience of union reps Monday that the Greater Manchester mayor should not have been blocked from returning as an MP earlier this year. Only Wes Streeting appears close to being ready to run a leadership contest — but MPs on the left of the party would likely challenge any move from the health secretary.
West said “proxies” for each of the three leadership camps had contacted her since she threatened a putsch.