Starmer expected to outline exit plan as Burnham pressure grows
UK media say Keir Starmer may set a resignation timetable after Andy Burnham’s return to Parliament intensified pressure inside Labour.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to set out a timetable for leaving office as soon as Monday, according to UK media reports, after Labour MPs pressed him to make way for Andy Burnham. A resignation would deepen Britain’s recent cycle of political turnover, making Starmer the sixth prime minister in a decade to announce an early departure.
The Guardian reported that Starmer was expected to say he would step down after heavy pressure from Labour lawmakers. The BBC said signs were increasing that he could outline a resignation plan on Monday, while British newspapers carried front pages declaring the end of his premiership.
Government ministers said over the weekend that Starmer was considering his political future. Business minister Peter Kyle said Sunday that the prime minister was reflecting on “the political challenges that he faces in this moment”.
The pressure on Starmer rose sharply after Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, won a parliamentary by-election on Friday and prepared to return to Westminster. Burnham defeated a candidate from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which Al Jazeera, citing AFP, Reuters and The Associated Press, reported has led national opinion polls for more than a year.
Burnham’s win encouraged Labour MPs who believe he could improve the party’s standing after a fall in support under Starmer. Al Jazeera reported that Starmer’s popularity ratings have dropped, while Burnham is viewed inside the party as a strong communicator with long experience in politics.
Labour succession questions remain
Starmer had said Friday that he would stand in any formal Labour leadership contest aimed at replacing him. His team argues that Labour’s national election victory in 2024 gave him a mandate to stay in office until 2029, according to Al Jazeera’s report.
If Starmer steps aside, it remains unclear whether Burnham would take over without a contest. Wes Streeting, who quit as health secretary last month in protest against Starmer’s leadership, has said he would run if Labour holds a leadership race.
Burnham has said the country needs major change and action to reduce the cost of living, but Al Jazeera reported that he has not yet set out detailed positions on foreign policy, defence or the economy. The same report said any successor could face tight limits from bond market investors opposed to extra government borrowing, as well as voters frustrated over living standards, public services and undocumented immigration.
If Burnham becomes prime minister, he would be Britain’s seventh premier since the 2016 Brexit vote, which took place 10 years ago this week. Al Jazeera reported that such turnover would be the highest in Britain in nearly two centuries.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.