By Lucas Taylor | May 9, 2026
After months of speculation over who might trigger a leadership challenge against the Prime Minister, far-left MP Catherine West has announced live on the BBC that if the cabinet has not removed Sir Keir Starmer by Monday, she will challenge him for the leadership of the Labour Party.
Pledging that on “Monday morning I will put my name forward to stand for leader of the Labour Party,” she claimed to already have many MPs supporting her bid, saying she had felt “inundated” with messages of support – though she admitted she had not yet looked at who they actually were.
The Corbynista frontbencher has been an MP since 2015 and served only briefly as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Indo-Pacific for just over a year before being replaced in 2025. This has led to speculation that she may already be acting as a “fall guy” to pave the way for a larger leadership contender such as Angela Rayner or Wes Streeting.
Her move echoes that of Sir Anthony Meyer, the outsider MP who in 1989 put himself forward in a leadership bid against Margaret Thatcher. Although unsuccessful, his challenge undermined her position and exposed her vulnerability, helping set the stage for her eventual resignation a year later.
On the subject of Andy Burnham, who recently tried and failed to re-enter Westminster via the Gorton and Denton by-election, West said: “I really like Andy, but he’s not here on the spot, so he can’t really do it.” She dismissed his chances of becoming Prime Minister. Burnham’s allies have been “desperately trying” to persuade her to abandon the leadership bid to buy him more time, sources said, just less than an hour after she launched the challenge.
A senior MP has told the press that “everyone sensible” is now trying to get Catherine West to withdraw her comments. There is also a belief that the move has prompted some Streeting allies to lend their support to West in an attempt to trigger a formal race.
Meanwhile, a Midlands Labour MP told GB Politics: “West will do very well in her leadership challenge. The majority of the Parliamentary Labour Party are prepared to support anyone who tries to get Starmer out, and she is the only one publicly challenging him for the leadership.” The comments highlight the deep desperation within the party for change following the local elections on 7 May.
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