Keir Starmer is taking stock of the harsh political terrain now in front of him, a cabinet minister said on Sunday, stopping short of dismissing the prospect that the UK Prime Minister could yet quit.
In the clearest indication so far that Mr Starmer is considering his next move, his Business Secretary declined to knock down repeated reports that the prime minister could announce a timetable for his departure as early as tomorrow.
Mr Starmer insisted on Friday, in the immediate aftermath of Andy Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election, that he would not abandon his post. Since then, however, the pressure bearing down on him has only intensified over the weekend.
Across the Atlantic, US President Donald Trump weighed in on Truth Social, writing that Mr Starmer would resign.
“He failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEAOIL!).
“I wish him well!”
The number of Labour MPs now urging Mr Starmer to go has climbed past 100 — just under a quarter of the parliamentary party — and includes figures who only last month put their names to a letter warning against a leadership battle.
Senior Labour voices have also broken cover. Former home secretary Alan Johnson said Mr Starmer should step aside, while Charlie Falconer said the prime minister has “no authority” because Westminster assumes Mr Burnham would replace him.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said on Sunday that he had not spoken to the Prime Minister since Friday, when the pair held what he described as a “frank conversation”.
Questioned about reports that Mr Keir Starmer could announce his resignation as soon as this week, he told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “I have nothing to believe that they are true. I’m seeing a lot of speculation out there.
“The only thing I can say with fact is that the prime minister is hard at work, as he is every day.
“He is one of the most hardworking people I’ve ever come across, and today, as in every other day I’ve ever known Keir, he is out there working hard.
“At the same time he is also trying to create the space where he can think and reflect on the political realities and challenges, and the opportunities, that lie before us.”
UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle spoke to the media in London today
Speaking to the BBC, he said that “whatever unfolds” over the coming days would be handled through a “functional process”.
“I don’t know what’s going to unfold in the days that lie ahead. I don’t know the decisions that he will make on behalf of our country as he considers these issues, and then makes decisions.
“But we will find a way for this to be whatever unfolds, a functional process, one where the Labour Party is seen to put the interests of the country first and foremost, and we will carry on delivering for this country through whatever does unfold in the days ahead,” he told the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.
Downing Street said Mr Starmer’s position was unchanged from Friday, when he declared he would not “walk away” from No 10 and would fight in any leadership contest that emerged.
But when asked whether the prime minister still intended to face down a challenge, Mr Kyle replied that “these are decisions for Keir to make” and again stressed that the PM was “taking the time to think through what the political realities are today compared to last week, the week before”.
Mr Starmer is understood to be spending the weekend at Chequers with his wife, reflecting on what course to take.
One senior ally told The Sun they believed there was “just a 25% chance he fights on now”, while The Observer quoted a Labour peer saying Mr Starmer appears to recognise that stopping “chaos” — a word he himself used — may no longer be possible if he remains in place.
According to The Observer, senior Labour figures expect a “clear statement” as soon as tomorrow.
During a call with Labour staff on Friday lunchtime, Mr Starmer warned against “plunging our party and our country into chaos by turning on each other and tearing apart our party and our movement”.
He is also understood to have spoken to several Cabinet ministers on Friday, with some reportedly telling him he should now set out a timetable for his exit.
‘No authority’
Andy Burnham is expected in Westminster tomorrow to be sworn into the House of Commons
Some in Westminster believe a leadership contest could begin as early as next week, though allies of Mr Burnham are said to favour a longer runway to allow proper preparation for government.
It is understood that Mr Burnham’s team wants Mr Starmer to clarify his intentions within days, but would accept a timetable that kept him in Downing Street until September.
The new Makerfield MP is expected in Westminster tomorrow to be sworn into the House of Commons.
He is reportedly planning to meet Mr Starmer afterwards and present him with a list of supporters — said to be heading towards 200 — as part of an effort to push for his resignation and a formal transition.
In another damaging intervention for Mr Starmer, Labour peer Charlie Falconer said the prime minister has “absolutely no authority” because “everybody assumes” Mr Burnham will challenge and defeat him.
He said his advice to Mr Starmer would be not to enter a leadership contest at all, but instead to agree a handover, ideally before the parliamentary recess begins on 16 July.
Former deputy leader Harriet Harman, whom Mr Starmer appointed as special envoy for women and girls, said there was now a “sense of collective movement” inside Labour and that she expected him to leave office, with Mr Burnham succeeding him.
She has urged the party not to drift towards a September end point, telling Sky News’s Electoral Dysfunction podcast that ministers could not be left “in a state of paralysis all through the summer”.
Analysis: Labour’s ‘Top Gun’, Andy Burnham, moves to centre stage
