What to know about the political chaos engulfing the UK's Labour Party and efforts to unseat Starmer

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer tried to strengthen his grip on office Monday, saying he was getting on with the job after taking blame for the Labour Party’s disastrous election results that have put his leadership in jeopardy.

Starmer sounded like he was giving a campaign speech but his audience was made up of workers at Labour’s headquarters. He thanked them for their hard work despite the party's losses in the May 7 local and regional elections.

“The election results were not the ones that we wanted, they were really tough. But you worked your socks off,” Starmer said. “It’s not been easy circumstances in the last 10 days.”

Indeed, the last two weeks have been bruising for Starmer, who led the party to a landslide victory two years ago. Dozens of party members have called for him to resign and former allies are plotting how to oust him.

One senior Labour lawmaker, Wes Streeting, resigned as health secretary last week and announced he will stand in a Labour leadership contest with Starmer if one is triggered.

Another would-be rival, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, has been cleared to stand in a special parliamentary election expected within weeks. If he wins, Burnham could join the leadership race and pose a serious threat to Starmer.

Starmer pledged his full support Monday for “whoever” runs for the open seat for Labour, but said he would not resign if Burnham wins.

The question of who could succeed Starmer as Britain's next prime minister could be decided by some 76,000 voters in a small election in northwest England.

All eyes are on Makerfield, near Manchester, where Burnham is expected to run.

Until this week, the popular mayor wasn't eligible to challenge Starmer because he is not a House of Commons lawmaker.

That changed after Josh Simons, the Labour lawmaker holding that seat, stepped down to make way for Burnham.

Burnham has said he will run for Parliament in the Makerfield special election. He said that if he wins that seat, he will take his work representing voters in northern England to the national level and turn Labour's fortunes around.

“If I get to stand, a vote for me will be a vote to change Labour, because Labour needs to change if we are to regain people’s trust,” he said in a speech Monday. “I know what my party has offered in the past has simply not been good enough.”

British media report that the Makerfield election could be held on June 18.

Applications for Labour’s candidacy close on Monday, and the party’s ruling body will endorse a candidate on Thursday.

While hugely popular and an experienced Labour politician, the 56-year-old Burnham is by no means certain to win the seat.

The constituency was long a safe Labour seat, but like many parts of the U.K. it has seen growing numbers of voters turn to the anti-immigrant, EU-skeptic Reform UK party.

Many voters in Makerfield backed leaving the EU in the Brexit referendum a decade ago. In recent local elections, Reform won all the wards in the constituency and secured around half the vote.

Burnham’s position is made tougher after Streeting, the other leading rival to unseat Starmer, on Saturday described Brexit as a “catastrophic mistake” and said the U.K. should one day rejoin the EU.

Streeting’s speech was widely seen as a direct challenge to Burnham, who has previously expressed support for eventually rejoining the EU but must tread a fine line if he wants to win in Makerfield.

Reform is likely to focus on immigration in the upcoming special election, and its leader Nigel Farage, who played a key role in campaigning for Brexit, wasted no time in attacking Burnham. Writing in the Daily Express Monday, Farage said Burnham “wants to drag you closer to the EU.”

Burnham tried to shut that down, saying: “The last thing we should do right now is rerun those arguments.”

News of Starmer's troubles overshadowed the woes of his rivals on the right and left.

A parliamentary watchdog last week opened an investigation into whether Farage failed to report a 5 million pound ($6.7 million) gift from a donor.

Farage has said the money from Thailand-based cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne came before he ran for Parliament, was not related to politics and was for his personal security. He later told the Sun tabloid the gift was for campaigning for Brexit.

Sky News reported that Farage bought a 1.4 million pound ($1.9 million) house after receiving the money. But Farage said he bought the house with money earned from being on the reality show, “I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!”

Meanwhile, the leader of the Green Party, which has also siphoned a share of Labour's vote, admitted he didn't vote in the recent local elections.

Zack Polanski was moving at the time and ran out of time to register at a new address, a party spokesperson said.

Polanski is also facing scrutiny for not paying taxes on a houseboat where he had lived in east London.

He has also admitted he wrongly claimed to be a spokesman for the British Red Cross during a 2022 campaign to be the deputy party leader.

Wes Streeting speaks at the Progress Conference at Convene in London, Saturday May 16, 2026. (Jeff Moore/PA via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer pours milk into a cup of tea he made a visit to Home Cafe and Kitchen in London, Monday, May 18, 2026, as new figures have shown the UK recorded stronger than expected economic growth. (Yui Mok/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to small business owners during a visit to Home Cafe and Kitchen in London, Monday, May 18, 2026, as new figures have shown the UK recorded stronger than expected economic growth. (Yui Mok/Pool Photo via AP)

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham speaks at The Great North Investment Summit at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, England, Monday May 18, 2026. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, starts a morning run in Manchester, England, Monday, May 18, 2026 whilst Britain's government is in turmoil, and some see Andy Burnham as the one to save it. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

ROME (AP) — A car-ramming and stabbing attack in Italy's northern city of Modena by a citizen of Moroccan descent highlights the challenges around integration even for those in the second generation, the interior minister said Monday.

Eight people were wounded, four critically, when the 31-year-old man drove into pedestrians Saturday before crashing into a shop window.

Despite ruling out terrorism, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said it cannot be dismissed as an isolated incident. He said investigators must fully examine the factors behind the attack, suggesting social marginalization and perceived discrimination might have played a role.

Some Italian politicians seized on the attack to voice xenophobic rhetoric, and renewed focus on so-called second-generation Italians — people born or raised in Italy to foreign parents — who are often at the center of debates over identity, citizenship and integration.

“At this stage, there are no elements that correspond to the classic profile of a terrorist who plans violent actions,” Piantedosi told the daily Il Giornale, noting the man's mental health concerns and social distress. “But all this cannot lead us to dismiss the attack as the act of an isolated madman.”

Italian authorities said the suspect, identified as Salim El Koudri, attempted to flee and slightly wounded a bystander with a knife before being overpowered by passersby and detained by police. Prosecutors arrested him on charges including massacre and aggravated injury. A court hearing on whether to validate his detention was postponed to Tuesday.

El Koudri's lawyer said he will request a psychiatric evaluation, describing his client as “not lucid” and unable to explain what happened.

Fausto Gianelli, who met El Koudri in the Modena jail, said the man appears to be in a state of “absolute confusion” and lacks awareness of the events, which he seems to relive “as if for the first time” when they described them to him, the lawyer told Italian TV.

A woman remains in life-threatening condition while other victims also sustained severe injuries, officials said.

The suspect, born in Italy and university-educated, had been diagnosed with a personality disorder and had shown frustration over his work and social condition, local authorities said. They said he underwent treatment in 2022 for what officials described as a schizoid disorder before dropping out of care.

Still, the case has fueled political debate in Italy, where controlling and limiting migration is a key priority in Premier Giorgia Meloni ’s conservative agenda.

Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-migrant League party, referred to the suspect as a “second-generation criminal” in a social post, renewing calls for stricter migration measures.

Salvini said he has instructed a group of jurists to refine security proposals recently presented by League, including the revocation of residence permits for foreigners who commit crimes, with immediate expulsion. He didn't provide data backing his proposal.

Opposition politicians criticized the government for seeking to use the case to toughen immigration rules.

“Even before the responsibilities and circumstances surrounding the incident had emerged, the deputy premier (Salvini) transformed a dramatic episode into an anti-immigrant rally,” said Carlo Calenda, leader of opposition party Azione.

Piantedosi sought to draw a distinction between the Modena attack and the government’s migration policies, stressing the suspect’s Italian citizenship while noting that doesn't guarantee successful integration.

He highlighted an email El Koudri sent to his university containing insulting language against Christians before later apologizing, suggesting possible resentment linked to perceived discrimination.

Piantedosi said investigators are still working to establish the full motive for the attack. He said the incident raises “profound questions” about integration, identity and marginalization, particularly among some second-generation immigrants.

Under Italy’s citizenship system, many are not automatically recognized as Italian at birth and may have to apply later in life. They may also face pressures linked to integration, including challenges in education, employment and social inclusion.

Modena Mayor Massimo Mezzetti called generalizations about foreigners “nonsense,” noting that two Egyptian migrants were among those who helped stop the attacker.

Thousands of residents gathered in Modena’s central Piazza Grande over the weekend in a show of solidarity with the victims.

Financial Police patrol a scene after a car incident in a street of Modena, Italy, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)

Blood is seen next to a destroyed car on a street of Modena, Italy, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)