Main Points
- Embattled British prime minister Keir Starmer is expected to set out a timetable for his departure imminently
- Starmer previously said he would resist any attempts to remove him but his thinking is understood to have changed
- The move likely clears the way for Andy Burnham to become prime minister by the autumn
- Former mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham comfortably took a seat in the Makerfield byelection, defeating a Reform candidate
- Burnham will be formally sworn in as an MP today
- More than half a dozen cabinet ministers have privately told Starmer that his time is up
- In Dublin, there is a recognition at senior Government level that Starmer’s time as prime minister may be coming to an end
- US president Donald Trump posted on social that Starmer had “failed badly” on immigration and energy policy
- It is unclear whether Burnham would be the only candidate, allowing for an effective coronation, or if other challengers will emerge
- Some MPs favour a contest to allow Burnham’s platform to be tested
Key Reads
- Analysis: Can Andy Burnham be a better prime minister than Keir Starmer?
- ‘Absolutely no authority’: Labour calls grow for Keir Starmer to stand down
- Keir Starmer insists he will not walk away after defence resignations
Varadkar says it’s ‘a shame’ Starmer didn’t get more time
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he feels sorry for Starmer, if his time as prime minister is indeed up.
“If the reports are true, and prime minister Starmer is going to resign, I think that’s something very sad,” Varadkar told Sky News on Monday.
Varadkar said, since gaining power two years ago, Starmer was “very successful at resetting” Britain’s relationship with the EU after “difficult” Brexit negotiations and “disagreements around Northern Ireland”.
He said it was “a shame” Starmer didn’t get more time in office.
Will there be a leadership race?
One obvious uncertainty in relation to future leader of the Labour Party is whether Burnham will be the only candidate or if other challengers will emerge and gain the necessary support, Mark Paul and Jack Horgan-Jones report.
Wes Streeting, who resigned as health secretary last month amid efforts to push Starmer to quit, said last week he would stand in any contest and had the necessary backing of 81 MPs to do so, with allies saying over the weekend that this was still the plan.
Some MPs say they would welcome a contest to allow Burnham’s platform to be tested.
There is, however, an increasing presumption that Streeting will not compete, either because he does not have the MPs needed or because he would almost certainly lose a vote of Labour MPs and would be wary of derailing preparations for the next government.
More from Mark Paul on Downing Street:
Officially Downing Street is confirming nothing, but sources inside the building are also not dissuading the hordes of press outside from the belief that an announcement may be relatively imminent.
Another sign that something big is happening is that the heavily armed Downing Street security services have set up a marquee just inside the entrance for arriving press to be searched, instead of their usual little hut.
The sun is out, a heatwave is on the way in London, and the temperature is also rising in Whitehall for what promises to be another dramatic day in UK politics.
Larry the cat has also been spotted outside Number 10.
Larry, who has already worked alongside six prime ministers, is expected to keep his role in the cabinet reshuffle.
No sign of the famous lectern
There is no sign yet of the famous lectern being pulled outside the door of Number 10, but there is an expectation among the gathered press pack that today is the day, writes Mark Paul from Downing Street.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer is believed to be about to resign, possibly this morning but certainly today before his internal rival Andy Burnham is sworn in as an MP. Starmer spent the weekend holed up at his Chequers with his wife Victoria, contemplating his future after Burnham’s thumping victory last Friday morning in the Makerfield by-election.
It is believed the prime minister has accepted his fate, and may lay out a timetable for his exit this morning. In another grand British political tradition, there is a heckler for the resigning prime minister at the gates of Downing Street.
A supporter of hard right party Restore Britain is being loquacious with a loudhailer, urging Starmer to quit. He may get his wish.
Starmer expected to announce exit plan
Embattled British prime minister Keir Starmer is expected to announce a timetable for his departure imminently, putting the UK on course for its seventh premier in a decade.
It is understood Starmer will set out his intentions outside 10 Downing Street on Monday morning.
The move would clear the way for Andy Burnham to become prime minister by the autumn.
The expected announcement follows a thumping victory by Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, in last week’s Makerfield byelection, near Wigan. Burnham, who will returned to the House of Commons after nine years in the regional role, said his defeat of Reform UK in the contest represented the “last chance” for Labour to seize the moment for change.
