Signs are mounting that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer could set out a timetable to resign as soon as Monday, after a sharp shift in the mood inside government and growing pressure from Labour MPs following Andy Burnham’s decisive Makerfield by-election victory, according to the BBC.
Starmer has repeatedly insisted he will not walk away from Downing Street and would fight any leadership challenge. But several government insiders now believe the prime minister may conclude that announcing an orderly departure is in the country’s interest, as doubts over his authority deepen.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle gave a strong signal of the changing mood on Sunday, telling the BBC that Starmer would do “what is in the best interests of the country”. Kyle said the prime minister was reflecting on the challenges before him and on political realities.
Those challenges have been building for months. Many Labour MPs argue that the party itself is not the central problem, but rather Starmer’s personal unpopularity. They believe he has become a drag on Labour’s standing and is holding the government back.
The Makerfield result appears to have intensified that view. Burnham’s victory was comfortable, including against Reform, giving despairing Labour MPs a potential leadership contender who can claim experience in taking on Nigel Farage’s party.
Dozens of Labour MPs had already said Starmer should quit. That number has grown since Thursday, with senior cabinet ministers also privately adding their voices.
The fact that ministers including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander are known to have told the prime minister to go, while remaining in their posts, underlines how far Starmer’s authority has ebbed.
Burnham is now widely viewed as the overwhelming favourite to become Britain’s next prime minister. If Starmer resigns in the coming days, the immediate question will be whether Labour holds a leadership contest at all.
Wes Streeting, the former health secretary, had always said he would stand. But his allies are now suggesting there should be discussions between potential candidates for No 10 about what the future should look like.
There are hints that a deal could be reached, even though Streeting’s team is publicly saying its position has not changed. Another candidate could still enter the race, but they would have little time to secure the backing of 81 MPs needed to reach the leadership ballot.
The next question is when a new prime minister would take office. Labour MPs are divided over what an “orderly” transition should involve, and how long it should last.
Some influential figures in Burnham’s camp want him to take over around the time of Labour’s annual conference in late September. They believe that would give him time to prepare for government and ensure he can begin strongly if he enters Downing Street.
Others in his camp say that timetable is too slow. They argue that a three-month interregnum would paralyse government and allow speculation about Burnham’s plans to build uncontrollably.
“His opportunity to define himself would be thrown off by endless speculation,” one minister said. Attention is also turning to who Burnham might appoint as chancellor. In recent days, some Labour MPs had seen the choice as a contest between Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
Mahmood, however, is now expected to remain in her current post if Burnham becomes prime minister. The prospect of Miliband as chancellor has alarmed those on Labour’s right, who would see the move as a clear shift to the left.
“If he picks Miliband, about 100 Labour MPs will be furious from the outset,” a minister said. Sharon Graham, general secretary of the Unite trade union, has already publicly urged Burnham not to appoint Miliband.
Burnham and his allies have stayed out of sight over the weekend, wanting to give Starmer time to reflect on the Makerfield result and reach his own conclusion about his future.
There are growing signs that this is now happening. The coming days could prove decisive for Labour, for the government and for the country.
