Sir Keir will hold talks with the health secretary amid growing calls for the prime minister to step down, with four government ministers, including Home Office minister Jess Phillips, resigning on Tuesday. Politics Hub: Follow the latest from Westminster Six parliamentary private secretaries have also quit, while more than 80 of Sir Keir's own MPs have called for him to go after Labour lost almost 1,500 council seats in England in last week's local elections. In what was seen as a crucial cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the prime minister vowed to fight on, saying the UK "expects us to get on with governing" and "that is what I am doing". Mr Streeting is seen as a major contender in any potential leadership contest; however, allies of the cabinet minister have previously denied he is trying to launch a coup. Another mooted rival to the PM is Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, but he would first need to become an MP via a by-election. Former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman has called on Sir Keir to bring him into the fold. Britain at a 'pivotal moment' It is believed the health secretary wants to discuss the "turbulence gripping the party", but it is "not clear whether he's going to call on the prime minister to set out a timetable for his departure", Sky's political editor Beth Rigby reports. Rigby added that Mr Streeting is not likely to disclose anything discussed in the meeting before the King's Speech in the House of Lords, where Charles will announce plans for the government's proposed legislation over the next year. More than 35 bills and draft bills are expected to be unveiled, targeting the UK economy, energy and national security. Ahead of the speech, Sir Keir said that "Britain stands at a pivotal moment: to press ahead with a plan to build a stronger, fairer country or turn back to the chaos and instability of the past." The prime minister claimed the new legislation would focus on "cutting the cost of living, bringing down hospital waiting lists and keeping our country safe in an increasingly dangerous world". Support for Starmer Despite a growing list calling for him to resign, a number of allies are backing the prime minister. More than 100 backbench MPs and ministerial aides have put their name to a statement saying the Labour Party needs to focus on "working together to deliver the change the country needs", insisting that "this is no time for a leadership contest". Read more from Sky News:Who is Wes Streeting?Plaid Cymru leader named first minister of Wales Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy gave the prime minister his "full support" and urged Labour MPs to "step back, take a breath". Mr Lammy said that "no one seems to have the names to stand up against Keir Starmer" and called on those calling for the PM to step down to "say which candidate would be better". He added: "It's been 24 hours now and nobody has come forward to put themselves forward in the processes that exist in the party. "Let's get on with the business of running this country and government." Trump: It's up to Starmer if he quits Meanwhile, when asked by Sky's US correspondent Mark Stone on Tuesday if Sir Keir should stay on as prime minister, Donald Trump said: "That's up to him." The US president reiterated his call for the UK to "open up the North Sea" and claimed the PM was "getting killed on windmilling your country to death". Mr Trump added: "You've got one of the great oil finds anywhere in the world, and you're not using it, and you're not allowed to use it, and it's one of the best in the world. "Open up your oil in the North Sea and get tough on immigration."

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He's a former special adviser parachuted into a safe seat in 2001 who declared when he stood for leader in 2010: "No more special advisers parachuted into safe seats." He's the Liverpool-born Everton supporter who was booed at the Hillsborough disaster 20th anniversary memorial at Liverpool's Anfield football ground. Politics latest: First members of government resign in call for Starmer to quit And he's the Greater Manchester mayor who, when re-elected in 2024, insisted: "I'm here for a full third term. I'm not planning to head back to Westminster any time soon." Yet this self-styled "King of the North", Andy Burnham, is seen by many Labour MPs and activists as their salvation and the party's best hope - if he's allowed to run for leader. He's certainly popular. Opinion polls consistently put him well ahead of Sir Keir Starmer and other Labour leadership rivals. He's the only major Labour politician viewed favourably by voters. For example, a YouGov poll suggested 36% of voters view him positively and 27% unfavourably. Wes Streeting's rating was minus 20, Angela Rayner's minus 31 and the PM's minus 45. Another YouGov poll suggested 27% believe he would do a good job as PM compared with 22% a poor job. Among Labour voters it was 48%, compared with 60% who think Sir Keir is doing a poor job. Born in Aintree in 1970, Mr Burnham is a Cambridge graduate who became a researcher for the late Tessa Jowell and then special adviser to Chris Smith, who was culture secretary in Tony Blair's first term. He became MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester, with a majority more than 16,000, after the retirement of former Labour whip Lawrence Cunliffe and within two years was parliamentary aide to David Blunkett. He was on his way. After Labour's 2005 election victory, he became a junior minister, then middle-ranking minister at the Home Office before a sideways move to the Department of Health. When Gordon Brown became PM in 2007, he joined the cabinet as Treasury chief secretary, and then became culture secretary a year later and health secretary in 2009. After being heckled at Anfield as culture secretary in 2009, he became a champion of the Hillsborough bereaved, and eventually won a second inquiry, winning him cheers at the 25th anniversary. As health secretary, he was criticised for rejecting calls for a public inquiry into an unusually high rate of deaths at Stafford Hospital after concerns about its standards of care. After Labour's 2010 election defeat, he stood for the leadership, but came fourth behind the winner Ed Miliband, his brother David and Ed Balls, but ahead of left-winger Diane Abbott. He served as shadow education secretary, and then health, and stood for the leadership again after Miliband's defeat in 2015, and this time came second to Jeremy Corbyn. He was shadow home secretary under Corbyn, but a year later announced he was running for Greater Manchester mayor. He was elected in 2017 with 63% of the vote, in 2021 with 67% and in 2024 with 63% again. When he was first elected, Corbyn travelled to Manchester to celebrate his triumph, but Burnham chose to celebrate with his supporters instead. First challenge to Starmer thwarted As mayor, he has been a high-profile voice for northwest England, and promoted what he calls "Manchester-ism", with moves such as taking the city's buses back under public control. Tackling homelessness, he initially pledged to end rough sleeping in Greater Manchester by 2020, but by late 2019 he was forced to admit he would miss his target. He earned plaudits when he clashed with Boris Johnson over COVID-19 restrictions during the pandemic, a high-profile rearguard action that earned him the title the "King of the North" for the first time. He ordered reviews into sex abuse allegations and grooming gangs in Rochdale, Manchester and Oldham, and backed calls for a national public inquiry. Despite pledging to serve a full term as mayor, as Starmer's woes deepened last autumn Burnham claimed on the eve of Labour's conference last year that he was being urged to stand for the Labour leadership. But that backfired, and Starmer saw off the challenge for a few months. Then, in early 2026, Burnham made his next move, a bid to stand as Labour's candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election. He was thwarted when a sub-committee of Labour's national executive voted 8-1 - with deputy leader Lucy Powell his sole backer - to block him. Labour lost the by-election, and Burnham allies claimed he would have won. Now he's back again, this time with powerful allies, including Powell, Angela Rayner and Lisa Nandy, calling for him to be allowed to stand in a by-election this time. But time is not on Burnham's side. A swift contest, if it's triggered by Labour MP Catherine West's rallying call to mutineers, there almost certainly wouldn't be time for him to enter the race. His best hope is a contest delayed until later in the year. And even then, with Labour support at rock bottom in last week's elections, there's no guarantee he could win a by-election. But Burnham has proved before that he's a resilient politician and a fighter. That's what those MPs calling for Sir Keir to set a timetable for quitting claim Labour needs right now. And despite the obstacles potentially standing in his way - Labour's national executive and a volatile electorate in a by-election - he's ready to answer the call.

Speaking on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Baroness Harman said Sir Keir should bring back the Greater Manchester mayor into his top team - after the PM previously blocked Mr Burnham from becoming an MP earlier this year. The prime minister is currently fighting to save his premiership, with more than 80 Labour MPs calling for him to go, while multiple junior ministers have resigned. Politics latest - follow live In a special episode of the podcast, the Labour peer told Sky News' political editor Beth Rigby that the potential leadership rival would help the prime minister to form "a team of all the talents". She said: "Andy Burnham, of course, can't be doing a coup at this point, or at least mounting a leadership challenge, because he's not an MP. And you can't challenge for the leadership of the Labour Party unless you're an MP. "But actually, if we're looking at having a team of all the talents when the country's facing terrible odds and the Labour Party has got a cloud hanging over it, clearly Andy is part of the solution to that. "And could it be that that Keir Starmer could say, 'actually, we need all the people in cabinet to be the very best people for the country. And that includes Andy Burnham. And I'm going to call him back in and he's going to be part of my government'." Read more:UK seizes thousands from US gangsterBorrowing coats hit decades-long high Members of the cabinet do not technically need to be MPs or peers, though convention dictates that this has almost always been the case in modern British political history. There have been examples of politicians who are members of neither the Lords nor the Commons attending cabinet, such as Gordon Walker in 1964. Civil servants and special advisers also routinely attend cabinet meetings - though they do not take part in discussions. Challenged on the idea of returning Mr Burnham to the cabinet, Baroness Harman responded: "Well, if he can construct a sense that the cabinet is there to support the prime minister to do the best for the country in very difficult circumstances, if he can really build that sense, then why on earth would he not have Andy Burnham as part of that? "He has got huge talents, [Sir Keir has] brought back Gordon Brown to add some help and some heft." She added that "nobody wants chaos", however at the moment "there's instability, but there's no endgame". Baroness Harman continued: "I just think that it's one thing having a big, internecine, factional contest when you're in opposition, but it's quite different when you're in government because you've got a job to do of running the country." She also warned that if Labour changes leader, it will lead to calls from opposition parties for a general election, causing "further instability". The peer explained that if Sir Keir was replaced: "Then Nigel Farage would say, 'yes, this election last week - it showed that the public want change. But they don't want change from Keir Starmer to Andy Burnham or Keir Starmer to West Streeting. They want change from Keir Starmer to Nigel Farage. They want me. So we must have a general election. This new person - you had no chance to have a say in choosing them. This is just the elites changing the people sitting in the top chairs'. "Therefore, he would be starting to call for a general election because you haven't had a say. So I think there would be further instability."

"We went for dinner and we went to see a movie together," the health secretary's friend and cabinet colleague, Peter Kyle, told Sky News this week. "Somebody who was planning to pull the plug and launch a leadership bid in a couple of days' time doesn't go to the cinema with a friend." Politics live: PM to meet Streeting after four ministers resign Glad that's cleared up. All very innocent, it seems. But hold on! The plot of the film, the sequel to the 2006 original, tells the story of a coup, no less, with Anne Hathaway's character taking on her old boss, played by Meryl Streep. According to Streeting's allies, he is indeed planning for the Labour leadership. But he's not plotting. But suspicions have been raised by the resignations of two members of the health secretary's ministerial team, junior minister Zubir Ahmed and his ministerial aide Joe Morris. Just a coincidence, surely? But Streeting's parliamentary neighbour, Ilford South MP Jas Athwal, has also called on the prime minister to announce an exit timetable. Warriors for Wes? It certainly looks that way. Streeting's leadership ambitions have been Westminster's worst kept secret for months, if not years. He's by far the best communicator in the cabinet and is said to have a comprehensive plan to change the country, on the economy, defence, Europe and immigration. He's also one of the most irrepressible extroverts in politics, taking over the decks at party conference discos and belting out Robbie Williams' Angels on karaoke with the words: "I'm loving Starmer instead." Now there's loyalty to the prime minister. Streeting, 43, also has arguably the most colourful family background of any MP. His maternal grandfather was an armed robber who did time in prison and knew the Krays. His grandmother also served time in Holloway prison, where she met Christine Keeler. His parents were only 17 and 18 when he was born. He grew up in a council flat in east London and went to Westminster City School, not the elite public school near the Houses of Parliament, but a comprehensive in Victoria. He then studied history at Cambridge University, where he came out as gay in his second year, was president of the student union and then National Union of Students president. At university he briefly left the Labour Party because he opposed Tony Blair's Iraq war. Nearly 'sacked' by voters in 2024 He worked for Stonewall, the LGBT campaign group, then became a councillor in Redbridge in 2010, and MP for Ilford North in 2015, but he didn't prosper until Sir Keir Starmer became Labour leader in 2020. He was a shadow Treasury minister, then spokesman on schools, before joining the shadow cabinet in 2021, briefly as spokesman on child poverty and then health. But his career almost came to a shuddering halt in 2024 when he scraped in by only 528 votes in the general election that saw Sir Keir win a 172-seat landslide. The challenger who almost unseated him was independent candidate Leanne Mohamad, a 23-year-old British Palestinian whose campaign was focused on opposition to Labour's stance on the Israel-Gaza war. As health secretary since the election he has fought a constant battle with the doctors' unions, warning their pay demands for junior doctors - now called resident doctors - would "break the country". He has abolished NHS England, the world's biggest quango and part of the bureaucracy brought in by David Cameron, and been successful in cutting waiting lists. Read more:Starmer told to appoint BurnhamLabour MPs calling on PM to resign If elected prime minister, he has promised to stick to Rachel Reeves' strict fiscal rules, and backed making savings from the welfare budget to boost defence spending to 3% of national income. But he's also one of the most high-profile Remainers in the cabinet, suggesting Labour should consider taking the UK back into a customs union, claiming it would boost growth. And on immigration he's a liberal and has suggested he's uneasy about the government's clampdown on visas, asylum and deporting families who arrive in the UK illegally. In a highly significant move as health secretary, he opposed Kim Leadbeater's assisted dying bill, on which MPs had a free vote, and said it would "come at the expense of other choices". Mandelson friendship He also has personal experience of NHS care, having been diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2021. But as well as being tagged as a Blairite on the right of the party, a friendship with Peter Mandelson could be highly damaging in a leadership contest. After the release of the Epstein files earlier this year, Streeting faced uncomfortable questions about his friendship with the former US ambassador. Streeting, who says he's a practising Anglican, lives in east London with his partner, Joe Dancey, who stood unsuccessfully for Labour in Stockton West in the 2024 general election. And as his recent cinema trip to watch The Devil Wears Pravda 2 confirms, he's clearly a movie fan. He has said his favourite film is Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, in which the hero Luke Skywalker leads The Rebel Alliance. He may not be plotting, but Wes Streeting now appears to be poised to lead his own rebel alliance.