Keir Starmer, fighting for his political life, has warned his ministers and MPs that a Labour leadership contest could result in chaos, amid speculation that health secretary Wes Streeting is plotting to challenge him imminently. The prime minister sought to rally his quarrelling MPs with a package of 37 new bills, announced in the King’s Speech, aimed at ending ‘the status quo that has failed working people’. The new legislative programme includes proposals on housing, healthcare, immigration, transport and economic reform. However, many Labour MPs remain unconvinced, with some openly calling for his resignation or a timetable for departure. The uncertainty has exposed deep tensions within the governing party at a time of growing political fragmentation across the UK and increasing pressure from opposition parties on both the left and right. Update: Wes Streeting has resigned as health secretary, and a leadership contest now seems more likely. See