United Kingdom: Keir Starmer set to resign – possibly as early as tomorrow
A Labour MP, generally regarded as one of his staunchest supporters, has acknowledged that it is a possibility that the Prime Minister might announce his resignation “as early as Monday”
LONDON - A decisive weekend for Keir Starmer: according to reliable sources, the British Prime Minister is reportedly set to resign, possibly as early as tomorrow. The decisive victory of his rival Andy Burnham in Thursday’s Makerfield by-election, with 55 per cent of the vote, has paved the way for the Mayor of Manchester to reach Downing Street.
The Prime Minister has shut himself away at his country residence, Chequers, with his wife to decide on his next moves and “is reflecting”, his allies have admitted. Until yesterday, Starmer had repeatedly stated that he wanted to remain at Downing Street and was ready for the challenge, confident that he had the support of enough MPs to defeat Burnham and convinced that the party and the country did not want a change at the top – the seventh Prime Minister in ten years.
However, the Manchester mayor’s triumph – which exceeded all expectations – has changed the situation, and Starmer’s position has become more precarious. In the last few hours, several ministers regarded as allies of the Prime Minister have advised him to throw in the towel to avoid being humiliated in a scenario where Burnham would emerge victorious. Among them are the Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and the Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.
The Prime Minister is therefore caught between two fires: on the one hand, his opponents, who have long criticised him and are convinced that only Burnham can revive the fortunes of the Labour Party; and on the other, his allies, who at this stage want him to step down with his head held high and with dignity. Among his loyal supporters are Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves.
Burnham is keeping a low profile this weekend, awaiting Starmer’s decisions. The hugely popular newly-elected MP has made it clear that he does not want an internal party battle and would prefer a peaceful and smooth handover, even though he already has the 81 MPs needed to trigger a leadership challenge on his side. His team hopes that the Prime Minister will resign and hand over the keys to Downing Street, or at the very least set out a timetable for his departure, perhaps at the party conference in September.
