The demands for Keir Starmer to resign have been mounting since the party's major defeat in regional and local elections across the UK - in addition to the crisis of confidence surrounding Starmer's appointment of former minister Peter Mandelson.
During the debate that followed the state opening and the King's Speech, the opposition intensified its calls for Labour to vote out its leader.
His authority is gone and he will not be able to deliver the little that the King's Speech promised, said Tory Party leader Kemi Badenoch.
Preparing for challenge
The man at the center was Wes Streeting instead, the health minister who, unlike several Starmer critics, has not resigned his ministerial post. Instead, he defended the government's policies and gave a speech to the opposition, according to Sky News .
But behind the scenes, the 43-year-old has positioned himself as a possible challenger. According to British media reports, he is preparing to step down in order to mount a serious bid for the Labour leadership, possibly as early as Thursday.
He has the support of several MPs, but how many? More than 80 Labour MPs have called for Starmer to resign, but it is unclear how many are behind Streeting - who needs the support of 20 percent of Labour's MPs in the House of Commons (currently 81 MPs) to be able to challenge.
Enough votes?
According to The Times, Starmer remains relatively popular within Labour's right-wing faction, and a challenger is far from a sure victory. The BBC reports that over a hundred MPs have signed a statement saying that the leadership question should not be raised now, and the party's top brass have either expressed their support for Starmer or remained silent.
Wednesday's debate will conclude with a vote on whether to approve the Address in Reply to the King's Speech. Such an address has not been rejected in the House of Commons since 1924, Sky News reports.
