Sir Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure to set out plans to leave Downing Street over the weekend after Andy Burnham secured a decisive victory in the Makerfield by-election. The Prime Minister has repeatedly vowed to resist any leadership challenge, insisting he will not “walk away.” However, Burnham’s win has emboldened more backbenchers and senior Labour figures to call for Starmer to step down.
Growing Calls for Starmer's Departure
Some MPs who previously signed a statement rejecting calls for a leadership election have now reversed their position. Former home secretary Alan Johnson told LBC his message to the Prime Minister would be: “It’s over, Keir.” Sir Keir is understood to have spoken to several Cabinet ministers on Friday, some of whom reportedly advised him to outline a timetable for his departure.
Allies of Burnham favor a longer wait to allow preparation for government, though some in Westminster believe a contest could begin as early as next week. Former transport secretary Louise Haigh, a Burnham supporter, said after the by-election victory: “We really hope that this can be a managed and orderly transition and Keir Starmer will reflect on the results, and Andy and Keir can meet in the coming days, and over the next week, and agree a path forward.”
Burnham's Camp Seeks Timetable
It is understood that Burnham’s team wants Starmer to announce his plans soon but would accept a timetable keeping him in No 10 until September. However, former deputy leader Baroness Harriet Harman urged the party to move faster, telling Sky News’s Electoral Dysfunction podcast that ministers cannot be left “in a state of paralysis all through the summer.”
Support for Burnham Grows
Jess Phillips, who quit as a minister last month, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she looked forward to Burnham arriving in Westminster on Monday and seeing prospective leadership candidates present their cases to Labour MPs. The Birmingham Yardley MP said Burnham had “proved his hypothesis” that he could take on Reform UK by winning in Makerfield. “He beat off Reform absolutely soundly in an area that absolutely should have been delivered to Reform and if anyone else had stood there, we would not be having this conversation now … I think he has earned the right to come and make his case to the Parliamentary Labour Party.”
Peter Swallow, one of more than 100 MPs who signed a letter backing Starmer last month, has withdrawn support. The Bracknell MP told Newsnight that “it is now the right time for the Prime Minister to resign and hand over to someone else” and said he would be “backing Andy.”
Starmer Digs In
Despite the pressure, Sir Keir appeared to be digging in. During a call with Labour staffers on Friday lunchtime, he warned against “plunging our party and our country into chaos by turning on each other and tearing apart our party and our movement.” It is understood he has amassed a campaign war chest to fight any leadership challenge, backed by private donors, with total pledges running into six figures, as first reported by The Times.
Sir Keir and his backers in the Parliamentary Labour Party have also stressed the need to focus on the by-election for the Greater Manchester mayoralty triggered by Burnham’s election. That contest is scheduled for July 30, with Labour set to announce its candidate on June 26. The party is pitching it as a two-horse race between Labour and Reform UK, but the Greens will look to build on their success in the Gorton and Denton by-election. Green leader Zack Polanski said the mayoral contest will be “a straight up battle between the Green Party vs Reform.”
