British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure to resign as Labor MPs revolt
Keir Starmer is facing an escalating internal pressure campaign from government ministers to set a timetable for his departure, after Andy Burnham’s landslide by-election victory in Makerfield opened the door to a leadership challenge.Transport Minister Heidi-Alexander has told the Prime Minister to set a timetable for leaving office, the BBC has learned. At least two other ministers, Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmoud, have previously suggested that Starmer set a timetable for departure. Culture Minister Lisa Nandy is also believed to be considering whether to join calls for his resignation.One minister, who had never asked the prime minister to leave before, said his departure was now inevitable.
A Cabinet source told the Guardian: “Everyone thinks the matter is over, and everyone wants it to be a dignified and orderly exit.”Burnham, who won the Makerfield by-election with 54.8 per cent of the vote and 9,231 votes, said the result “could be a turning point” for Labor and that voters had issued a “call for change”.“I want to chart a new path for Britain,” Burnham said in his victory speech. “There will be no second chance.
We must hear it, we must act on it, and we must correct it.”The result was the second highest ever vote for the Reform Party in the UK in a by-election, with Robert Kenyon receiving 34.5 per cent of the vote. The turnout rate was 58.75 percent, the third highest turnout in by-elections since World War II.Starmer made it clear that he would not “walk away”. “If there is a competition, just to be clear with you, yes, I will run,” he told reporters.
He warned that such a contest would “plunge us into chaos” and said Labor needed to “come together” to fight the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election sparked by Burnham’s win.But some of Starmer’s closest allies privately admit his premiership may be over. One MP said they believed there were around 200 Labor MPs prepared, if necessary, to sign Burnham’s nomination papers for the challenge, although his supporters are hopeful of being crowned.
Backing Darren Jones as replacement
MPs loyal to Starmer say they are determined to prevent Burnham’s coronation and are prepared to rally around Darren Jones, the prime minister’s first secretary, as an alternative.One MP told the Guardian: “There are a large number of colleagues who look up to Darren Jones.” Unlike other potential candidates, Jones has economic and national security experience, represents a generational break, and has national rather than regional appeal.A source close to Jones said: “Darren agrees with the Prime Minister that now is not the right time to hold a leadership election.”Two senior Labor members, David Blunkett and Harriet Harman, said there must be a timetable for new leadership. “The herd is not just moving against Starmer, it is stampeding,” Harman told Sky News.Labor MP Jo White, who leads the Red Wall group representing areas that traditionally support Labour, said Starmer should “consider his position very carefully” over the weekend and announce a “smooth transition” on Monday.Many ministers expressed their desire to show loyalty, noting that they know the situation makes it very difficult for the Prime Minister to continue. But another said: “There comes a point where you ask: What’s more important? Is it loyalty or implementing your agenda?”
The economy cannot afford a summer of uncertainty
The head of business lobby group CBI has warned that the country “cannot afford a summer of speculation and drift” as talk grows of a potential leadership challenge.“For strong and stable economic growth, you need strong, stable and consistent government,” said Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of the CBI.Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, told the BBC that it was important for any potential leadership contender to “stay focused on what matters to retailers and consumers alike”.If Starmer does not resign over the weekend, or indicate he will allow a transition to a new leader, senior Labor sources said there would be an intervention at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting.A senior source said: “The Prime Minister cannot make the same move again as he refuses to talk to his government about his future.” He added: “He has the choice of allowing his government and ministers to publicly show support for his rivals or risk the same situation that Boris Johnson was exposed to, where you had three education ministers in three days.”
