Mounting pressure on Keir Starmer has turned the question of his future into a live political drama, after a cabinet minister spoke of the “political realities” now confronting the UK Prime Minister and pointedly declined to rule out resignation.
In the clearest indication yet that Mr Starmer is weighing his next move, Business Secretary Peter Kyle did not shut down multiple reports suggesting the prime minister could set out a timetable for his departure as soon as tomorrow.
Mr Starmer had insisted on Friday that he would not “walk away” from Downing Street, speaking in the immediate aftermath of Andy Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election. But the weekend has brought fresh momentum to calls for him to go.
US President Donald Trump added to the noise by posting on Truth Social that Mr Starmer would step down.
“Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“He failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEAOIL!).
“I wish him well!”
Meanwhile, the number of Labour MPs urging Mr Starmer to resign has now risen above 100 — just under a quarter of the party’s MPs — including some who only last month signed a letter warning against triggering a leadership contest.
Senior figures have also gone public. Former home secretary Alan Johnson said Mr Starmer should step aside, while Charlie Falconer said the prime minister has “no authority” because it is widely assumed he will be replaced by Mr Burnham.
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Mr Kyle told broadcasters on Sunday that he had not spoken to the prime minister since Friday, when he said the pair had held a “frank conversation”.
Pressed on claims that Mr Starmer may announce his resignation as soon as the coming 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
In a separate interview, Mr Kyle told the BBC that “whatever unfolds” in the days ahead 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.
No 10 said Mr Starmer’s position was unchanged from Friday, when he said he would not leave No 10 and would stand in any potential contest.
But when asked whether the prime minister still intended to fight a leadership challenge, Mr Kyle said “these are decisions for Keir to make”, adding that Mr Starmer was “taking the time to think through what the political realities are today compared to last week, the week before”.
The prime minister is understood to be spending the weekend at Chequers with his wife and is reported to be reflecting on how to proceed.
A senior ally told The Sun they believe there is “just a 25% chance he fights on now”, while The Observer quoted a Labour peer who said they think Mr Starmer recognises that stopping “chaos” — “as he rightly put it” — is no longer possible if he remains.
According to The Observer, senior Labour figures believe a “clear statement” could come as early as tomorrow.
On Friday lunchtime, Mr Starmer warned Labour staffers during a call not to “plung[e] our party and our country into chaos by turning on each other and tearing apart our party and our movement”.
He is understood to have spoken to several Cabinet ministers on Friday, with some reportedly telling him he should lay out a timetable for leaving office.
‘No authority’
Andy Burnham is expected in Westminster tomorrow to be sworn into the House of Commons
Some at Westminster believe a contest could begin as soon as next week, though allies of Mr Burnham would prefer a longer runway to prepare for government.
It is understood that Mr Burnham’s team wants Mr Starmer to clarify his intentions in the coming days, but would accept a timetable that kept him in Downing Street until September.
The new Makerfield MP is expected to arrive in Westminster tomorrow to be sworn into the House of Commons.
He is reportedly planning to speak to Mr Starmer afterwards and present him with a list of backers — which he is said to be trying to increase to 200 — as part of a push for him to step down and to agree a transition.
In another setback for Mr Starmer, Labour peer Charlie Falconer said the prime minister has “absolutely no authority” because “everybody assumes” Mr Burnham will challenge him and win.
Lord Falconer said he would advise Mr Starmer not to contest the leadership and instead agree a handover, ideally before the parliamentary recess begins on 16 July.
Former deputy leader Harriet Harman, appointed by Mr Starmer as a special envoy for women and girls, said there is a “sense of collective movement” within Labour and that she expected Mr Starmer to leave office and for Mr Burnham to replace him.
She urged the party to move more quickly than a September end-date, telling Sky News’s Electoral Dysfunction podcast that ministers could not be left “in a state of paralysis all through the summer”.
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