Sir Keir Starmer is facing Prime Minister’s Questions for the first time since his leadership was effectively challenged by Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham.
He’ll be challenged by Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, as well as other MPs.
His noon showdown with the opposition leader is the first since Parliament returned after the May elections that saw Labour suffer heavy losses and prompted mounting calls for Sir Keir to resign.
It comes after Mr Burnham was confirmed as the party’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election, which was triggered by former minister Josh Simons quitting to open up a path for the Greater Manchester Mayor to return to Westminster.
It is understood that the mayor was the only person shortlisted for selection by Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee, bypassing a vote by the local party.
The decision sets up a contest between Mr Burnham and Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon, a local plumber who contested the seat for the party in 2024.
If he returns to Parliament, Mr Burnham is widely expected to challenge Sir Keir for the Labour leadership, but the Prime Minister has insisted he will not “walk away” from Downing Street.
Meanwhile, Mr Streeting, who criticised what he claimed was “drift” and a lack of direction within Government in a resignation letter last week, has also made clear he intends to stand in any contest.
Sir Keir has insisted he is “focused on the job” of governing and at a Downing Street reception for homelessness charities on Tuesday talked up the Government’s record on renters’ rights reforms as an example of “ripping up the failed status quo”, avoiding any mention of the turmoil engulfing the party in recent days.
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