Kay Oliver: UK correspondent on Sir Keir Starmer's upcoming meeting with Wes Streeting

The carnival of chaos continues in Downing Street, as British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer meets with one of the main contenders for his job - Health Minister Wes Streeting.

Despite four ministerial resignations and 86 MPs calling for him to go, Starmer insists he is staying on as Prime Minister.

UK correspondent Kay Oliver speculates ahead of the meeting.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Kay Oliver UK correspondents with US.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Hell.

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Okay, hello Heather, So is it true that Wiz has
got a meeting with Kia before the King's speech?

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Well he has indeed. I mean the timing is very interesting.
He's going in the world's press are out in Downing Street, Heather.
I have to say that waiting at the front door.
But the rumor is that the health sector is going
in by the back door because he doesn't want all
these awkward questions thrown at him. What are they going
to talk about? Many people would like to be a
fly on the wall. Is he going to basically back

(00:31):
down from what many sees this leadership challenge? Is he
going to put up or shut up? What is going
to go on in that conversation today? He might be sacked.
He could announce that he's going for it. But none
of this, of course, is going to be revealed before
the King's speech, which happens shortly after. Basically, we've got
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester who's also in London,

(00:54):
another one of sakia's main contenders, and Angela Rainers. So
you know the plot thicken. Nothing happened yesterday despite this
kind of greater fanfare and what will he go? Will
he stay? He stayed, he's digging in. Many of his
political rivals are saying, just how long can he carry on?
That he's done life support. We've also heard today that

(01:15):
the unions eleven unions are saying that at some point
the Labor Party will have to put a plan in
place to elect a new leader. So effectively the unions
he's lost their support. We really do wait to see
just how long this can go on. Of course, this
all comes in the wake of these disastrous local authority
elections where the Labor Party I think they lost fifteen

(01:37):
hundred councilors across the parts where the elections, the local
elections were taking place. He's in a very very difficult
situation and people are just wondering how stubborn can he be?
When is the message coming across? But of course we've
got the King's speech and King Charles the thurb will
not want this to be disrupted. There have been talks
between Downing Street and Buckingham Palace. London is shining because

(02:02):
obviously we've got the pomp and ceremony about to take
place later on today with the King's speech.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
Now, look, explain to me why is it. If we're
streeting he has the numbers to trigger something, why hasn't he.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
Well, the point is, Heather, we're not quite sure what
the numbers are, how many numbers. There's so much kind
of cloak and dagger stuff going on here. We know
that one hundred one hundred MPs have written supporting Sekir Starmer,
and about ninety have put in letters saying they don't
support him. Now whether this is to back where streeting,

(02:35):
some are saying that perhaps he's not as popular as
many think he is. You've also got the situation with
the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham. To get him
into position, an MP is going to have to give
up his seat. He's then going to have to stand.
There will be an election and basically Andy Burnham could

(02:56):
be fighting for that seat against Reform and the Green Party.
Nobody knows that Andy Burnham has a golden ticket to
win that seat. So it's all going on here here
here that we don't really know where it's going to fall.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
A lot of guests listen, but I was reading that
Andy Burnham has had a meeting in London with key
supporters has chosen his seat and will announce his seat
the seat that he wants to run in as early
as today.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
Is that official, Well, it's not official. It really is
not official. But there was secret sorry, there were secret
talks with MPs in London yesterday. He was seen coming
down to London on a train. That's as far as
it kind of went with Andy Burnham. He's kind of
taken a left turn on this, staying out of the spotlight.
The main focus is on where's streeting, there's the Health

(03:41):
Secretary and what he's going to do today. But of
course Andy Burnham is creeping through on the sidelines, and
Angela Reina don't forget her, and all.

Speaker 1 (03:50):
Of them the cast are characters. How do you think
the King feels about this because this is supposed to
be his day and it's being crowded out by all
these plabes.

Speaker 2 (03:59):
Well, I'm sure sure that he's not very happy. I
think one could use the expression we are not amused
of what's going on. He's going to come down, going
to the House of Lords and he's going to present
the legislation, the government's plan for the future for the
It's the state opening of Parliament. Basically, and there are
lots of things that he's going to be discussing. The
speech has been written by the government and things like

(04:21):
digital IDs, we've got the immigration situation, and we've also
got these special needs education. These are all on this
agenda that he's going to be presenting. And I'm sure
he's not happy that the spotlight has been completely stolen
away from him and it's gone firmly into Downing Street.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
I can imagine.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
Kay.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
Thank you very much, all very exciting. You're part of
the world. K Oliver, UK correspondent.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
For more from Hither Duplessy Alan Drive, listen live to
news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.