Sir Keir Starmer will stay on as an MP after leaving No 10 in the coming weeks, his spokesman has confirmed. There have been questions over whether the Prime Minister would keep his seat in the House of Commons, or subject his successor – almost certainly Andy Burnham – to a tricky by-election. Asked if Starmer will stay on for the rest of the term, his official spokesman said: 'He's going to remain as an MP.' However, he implied the outgoing PM would not go into Cabinet if he was asked, pointing towards Starmer's words at a Cabinet meeting yesterday. The Prime Minister said: 'This is the end of my journey, but this is not the end of yours.'
By-Election Avoided
Resigning his seat would have opened up a by-election in his Holborn and St Pancras seat in north London, which could be a top target for Zack Polanski's Green Party. The confirmation came after a raucous session of Prime Minister's Questions, which was not attended by Burnham. But Tory leader Kemi Badenoch took the opportunity to have a dig at the man she could be facing at PMQs this time next month, describing him as 'a pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt'.
PMQs Tensions
Badenoch had earlier been told off by Speaker Lindsay Hoyle for her targeting of Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson. Chancellor Rachel Reeves turned to Phillipson in shock after Badenoch described the Labour frontbencher as a 'spiteful class warrior'. The Tory leader also said of the Education Secretary, who grew up in poverty: 'If she knew so much about poor children, she would not have given them fewer teachers.' Hoyle responded: 'Can I just say, think about the language we’re using, because when we leave this chamber don’t be surprised when constituents feel they can use the same language against each other.'
