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Created: 18 May 2026

LONDON, May 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Britain's ruling Labour party on Monday revisited the divisive wounds of Brexit, after a senior figure hoping to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for the country to rejoin the European Union.

Wes Streeting, who resigned as health minister last week and announced he would run to replace Starmer, broke years of guarded silence by the party on Brexit, in what was seen as a tactic in a potential leadership contest.

Dozens of Labour MPs last week urged Starmer to quit after dire local election results, raising the prospect of a change in prime minister, just two years into the party's tenure.

With Streeting and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham poised to launch challenges against Starmer, the former raised the politically toxic issue of Brexit, calling for Britain to eventually rejoin the EU.

"We need a new special relationship with the EU, because Britain's future lies with Europe, and one day back in the European Union," Streeting said at a conference on Sunday -- a rejoining pledge that Starmer has so far avoided.

"I'm grounded in the job that I'm doing, which is to make sure we are closer to the EU," Starmer, who has resisted calls to quit, said Monday.

Regarding Brexit, he added he would "not get lost in a debate about what may happen years down the line".

- Battle with far-right -

Britain's membership of the EU has long been a thorny subject and 10 years ago a narrow majority of the population voted to leave the bloc in a referendum.

Since 2020, when Britain finally left, few prominent figures have dared to revive the question, recalling the political paralysis and bitter division of the time.

But the issue reared its head in the chaos following Labour's poor election performance this month.

Burnham is preparing to stand for a parliamentary seat that would allow him to compete to replace Starmer. To do so, he must defeat the pro-Brexit, anti-immigration party Reform UK in the constituency of Makerfield.

Reform UK leader and Brexit figurehead Nigel Farage warned voters in that by-election in northwest England that Labour would "drag you closer to the EU".

The debate forced Burnham to distance himself from Streeting's stance, saying while there was a case to rejoin the EU in the long term, he would not campaign on the issue in the by-election if selected as Labour's candidate.

"My view is that Brexit has been damaging, but I also believe the last thing we should do right now is rerun those arguments," he said Monday in a speech that sounded like a pitch to be leader.

He said a vote for him would be "a vote to change Labour".

Starmer said he would "one hundred percent" support whoever was named the Labour candidate for the special election.

"A Labour candidate to beat Reform. That is the fight that we are in," Starmer said.

- 'Derail' by-election -

The Times newspaper reported that Burnham's allies saw Streeting's Brexit comments as a bid to "derail" the campaign in Makerfield, where a majority voted for Brexit in 2016.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy insisted that rejoining the EU was a "red line" for Starmer's government.

"Wes Streeting has left the government. He can have a debate, he can comment, that is not my position," Lammy told Sky News.

Kemi Badenoch, who leads the main opposition Conservatives, said the Labour in-fighting showed the ruling party "does not have a plan for this country".

Neither Streeting nor Burnham has formally launched a leadership contest, which would need the backing of at least 81 Labour MPs.

But four junior ministers have resigned and numerous lawmakers have called for Starmer to step down, exposing frictions in a party that has sought to differentiate itself from the chaos of the previous Conservative governments.

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Created: 16 December 2025

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Created: 16 December 2025

Edmonton, Alberta | December 16, 2025 (BHESA): Shaheed Intellectuals Day (December 14) and the 55th Great Victory Day of Bangladesh were observed with due solemnity at the ACT Aquatic & Recreation Centre in Roundel Park, Edmonton.

The program paid tribute to the martyred teachers, students, journalists, intellectuals, and public servants who laid down their lives during the Liberation War of 1971. It also commemorated December 16, 1971—the day the Bengali nation achieved its ultimate victory after nine months of a bloody armed struggle, culminating in the surrender of the occupying Pakistani forces and the birth of an independent and sovereign Bangladesh founded on four core principles: democracy, socialism, secularism, and nationalism.

Recalling the political continuum of the Liberation War—from the Language Movement of 1952 to the Six-Point Movement of 1966, the Eleven-Point Movement of 1969, and the historic election of 1970—the chief guest, Bir Muktijoddha Delwar Jahid, founding executive member of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad Canada Unit and President of the North American Journalists Network, highlighted the sacrifices of the leaders of the Provisional Government, sector commanders, freedom fighters, and the persecuted mothers and sisters of the nation.

The event was presided over by Saifur Hasan, President of the Bangladesh Heritage and Ethnic Society of Alberta (BESA). Among those present were Engineer Kabir Hossain, journalist Md. Ismail, Haidar Jan Chowdhury, automotive technician, Tanvir Hasan, Shakil Ahmed, Ryhana Rasmin, women representatives, Sonia Akter, Selina Islam, Ayesha Parvin, Shiuli Begum, Rima Begum, Sabira Hasan, Osheneya, and others.

In his address, the chief guest stated that while the sacrifices of the martyrs constitute a glorious chapter in the nation’s history, they have been politicized and remain contested. He warned that attempts are being made to undermine the dignity of martyrs’ families before the new generation by distorting the history of atrocities committed by the Pakistani occupation forces and their collaborators—Razakars, Al-Badr, and Al-Shams—and that those backing such efforts are now calling for civil conflict within the country.

Mr. Jahid urged families and educational institutions to actively cultivate patriotism, historical consciousness, and a sense of responsibility toward the true history of the Liberation War among children and adolescents.

On behalf of BESA, new immigrants were formally welcomed to Edmonton, with a call for unity and organization within the community. An open discussion followed, with participation from artist Tamim Hossain, Montasir Mamun, and Md. Jamal Uddin, Md. Rais Uddin, Sultan Russell, and Saifur Hasan.

During the meeting, a five-member executive committee was formed to reorganize and strengthen the Bangladesh Heritage and Ethnic Society of Alberta:

President: Sultan Russell; Vice President: Md. Jamal Uddin; Secretary: Md. Rahis Uddin; Treasurer: Montasir Mamun; Ex-Officio: S. Hasan.

The chief guest introduced the newly elected officers. Mr. Jahid, along with Saifur Hasan and Sultan Russell, distributed Victory Day gifts among children and adolescents.

The event concluded with the serving of traditional Bangladeshi cuisine, which all attendees warmly appreciated.