Sir Keir Starmer is considering whether to resign, Business Secretary Peter Kyle has said, as the Prime Minister faces mounting pressure from Labour MPs to set out an exit plan. Mr Kyle told Sky News that the PM was “reflecting on the political realities, challenges, and opportunities that he finds himself in.”
Cabinet Minister’s Comments Break from No10 Line
Mr Kyle’s remarks came after a “frank” conversation with Sir Keir on Friday. Unlike Downing Street’s insistence that the Prime Minister would fight any leadership contest, Mr Kyle declined to repeat that line, telling the BBC: “These are decisions for Keir to make.” He added that there was a “process underway” with people challenging the PM.
The Business Secretary said Sir Keir was determined to put the country ahead of any personal interest, but acknowledged the PM was making time to reflect on the political realities. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander have reportedly already told Sir Keir to set out a timetable for his departure.
Growing Rebellion Among Labour MPs
The number of Labour MPs calling for Sir Keir to step down has risen above 100, around a quarter of the party’s MPs. Some of these MPs had signed a letter warning against a leadership contest just last month. Labour grandees have also spoken out, with former home secretary Alan Johnson saying Sir Keir should step aside and Lord Falconer saying he has “no authority” because it is assumed he will be replaced.
A senior ally told The Sun they believe there is “just a 25 per cent chance he fights on now.” The Observer cited a Labour peer who thinks Sir Keir sees that “stopping ‘chaos’ (as he rightly put it) is now not possible by staying.”
Potential Resignation as Early as Monday
Reports suggest the Prime Minister could make a resignation statement as early as Monday, following Andy Burnham’s by-election victory in Makerfield on Thursday. Mr Burnham’s win raises the prospect of an imminent Labour leadership challenge and puts huge pressure on Sir Keir. The PM has repeatedly vowed not to walk away, but faces a daunting week ahead, including a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday, Cabinet on Tuesday, and PMQs on Wednesday.
Sir Keir warned Labour staffers during a call on Friday lunchtime to avoid “plunging 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.
Burnham Camp Prepares for Transition
Some in Westminster believe a contest could begin as early as next week, but allies of Mr Burnham favour a longer wait to allow them to prepare for government. It is understood that Mr Burnham’s camp wants Sir Keir to set out his plans in the coming days but would accept a timetable that kept him in No10 for a few weeks, or possibly until September.
The incoming Makerfield MP is expected to be in Westminster on Monday to be sworn into the Commons. He is reportedly planning to speak to Sir Keir afterwards and present him with a list of backers – which he is said to be seeking to get up to 200 – in a bid to press him to step down and set out a transition.
Baroness Harriet Harman, who Sir Keir appointed as a special envoy for women and girls, said there is a “sense of collective movement” from within Labour and that she expected Sir Keir to leave office and for Mr Burnham to take his place. She urged the party to move faster than aiming for a timetable ending in September, telling Sky News’s Electoral Dysfunction podcast ministers could not be left “in a state of paralysis all through the summer.”
