00:00British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under fresh political pressure
00:04as one of his senior party rivals says he's ready to force a leadership challenge.
00:10Wes Streeting says he would move to trigger a contest
00:13if Starmer does not set out a timeline for his departure
00:17after a special parliamentary election on Thursday.
00:20He told the BBC that he could act as early as next week if no announcement is made.
00:28Wes Streeting, who is Britain's former health secretary, told the BBC
00:32that he believes he has the support of around 81 Labour lawmakers,
00:36the number needed to force a leadership challenge.
00:40Meanwhile, Starmer, speaking at the G7 summit in France,
00:44said he would contest any challenge to his leadership.
00:47Very many times on my political journey, people have said to me,
00:50it's not possible, they said it's not possible to turn the Labour Party around,
00:54it's not possible to win an election, it's not possible if you do win an election
00:57to invest in your public services and stabilise the economy.
01:01Wrong every time and that's why I intend not to walk away from this
01:05but to carry on with what I was elected to do,
01:08which is to serve this country and bring about the change
01:10that people desperately need in their lives.
01:12The Labour Party is also watching a local election in England this week
01:17which could determine whether Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham
01:21becomes a potential leading figure in any future leadership challenge.
01:25Streeting, who resigned from government last month, said
01:28continued internal tension was hurting government stability
01:32and called for a quick resolution to end the uncertainty.
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