Sir Keir Starmer is facing increased pressure to resign as prime minister as Andy Burnham is expected to make his return to Westminster on Monday.
Burnham is due to be sworn in as Makerfield’s MP, after winning Thursday’s by-election and increasing Labour’s share of the vote in the constituency by 9.61%
The prime minister, who is reported to have spent the weekend mulling his political future, is said to have been told by members of his Cabinet, including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, that he should set out a timetable for his departure.
A spokesperson for No 10 said Starmer’s position remained unchanged from Friday, when he said he will not “walk away” from Downing Street and will stand in any potential contest.
“There’s more to do, and that’s what I’m focused on, what I was elected to do, which is to serve my country,” Starmer said on Friday.
On Sunday, Business Secretary Peter Kyle did not shut down questions about Starmer’s future as he spoke to broadcasters and said the PM was taking time to “think through what the political realities are today compared to last week, the week before”.
“I don’t know the decisions that he will make on behalf of our country”, Kyle said, adding that “whatever unfolds” in the coming days will be a “functional process”.
Burnham made it clear in his Makerfield speech that he hoped his election would be a “turning point” and that he hoped to “lead by example, from the front” to bring about national change.
Questions are being raised within Labour about how a change of leader would come about – with some backing a leadership contest, and others a swift transfer of power to Burnham.
Reports suggest Burnham is hoping for around a month’s handover, giving Starmer time to get his Defence Investment Plan over the line in time for the upcoming Nato summit.
It would mean Starmer could also sign his planned EU co-operation deal at the second annual reset summit with the bloc in July.
Former health secretary Wes Streeting declared his intention to stand in any leadership race after he resigned from Starmer’s Cabinet in May, but there is speculation he could instead join Burnham’s cabinet.
Streeting, who has called the decision to leave the EU a “catastrophic mistake”, has pledged to adopt a “maximalist” approach to forging closer ties with the bloc.
The number of Labour MPs calling for Sir Keir to go has topped 100 – just under a quarter of the party’s cohort in the Commons – and includes some who signed a letter warning against a leadership contest just last month.
US President Donald Trump declared that Starmer was set to resign on Monday in a post shared on Truth Social at the weekend.
“Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom. He failed badly on two very important subjects – IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well!” the president said.
Trump has not spoken to Starmer since the leaders saw each other at the G7 summit in France earlier this week, according to reports.
Starmer, once nicknamed the “Trump whisperer” due to his apparent ability to keep the president on-side, has faced a lot of criticism from the Trump administration over his decision not to join the war in Iran.
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