Labour leader tells challenger not to seek leadership now

The Labour leader warned a potential rival against launching an immediate leadership challenge if elected to Parliament this week, saying such a contest would be a bad thing for the country. The leader, speaking from the G7 summit, said he hoped the rival would win the Makerfield by-election on Thursday and would offer a cabinet job afterward.

If the rival wins in Makerfield, a by-election for the Greater Manchester mayoralty would follow, with voting expected by 6 August. The leader described the mayoral contest as very important and said the party would need to focus on securing another Labour victory. Some party members fear Reform UK could perform strongly in the mayoral race despite the rival's large margin in 2024.

A former health secretary who resigned last month said uncertainty in the leadership would need to be resolved if the party wins Thursday's by-election. The former minister indicated readiness to trigger a leadership contest as early as next week. The leader responded by pointing to the sequence of by-elections and said the party must concentrate on those contests rather than Westminster speculation.

Last week two defence officials resigned over funding disagreements. On Tuesday the chief of the defence staff warned that training and operations would need to be scaled back without additional resources. The leader said the new defence secretary is reviewing priorities and that discussions with military leaders are continuing.

" — Labour leader, 17 June 2026 (BBC) >"Uncertainty and paralysis" in the leadership would have to be resolved if the party wins Thursday's Makerfield by-election.