David Lammy, the deputy prime minister and one of Keir Starmer’s closest cabinet allies, has stated that the prime minister is not about to set a timetable for his departure from Downing Street. Lammy urged the Labour Party to move beyond what he described as a “spectacular own goal” of repeated leadership speculation.
Starmer’s Resilience and Determination
Speaking to Sky News, Lammy emphasised Starmer’s resilience: “There will be no timetable for departure. Let me be really clear – Keir Starmer remains the most resilient person I know in my life. I spoke to him twice yesterday. He has a strength of character, a fighting experience. There will be no timetables.” He added that the focus must be on “getting on with the business of government” and Starmer’s determination to deliver for the people.
Makerfield Byelection and Party Unity
Starmer visited Labour headquarters on Monday, urging staff to show “100%” support to help win the crucial Makerfield byelection. Sources confirmed he is not considering stepping aside for Andy Burnham should the Greater Manchester mayor win the contest. Burnham is expected to be selected after sitting MP Josh Simons stepped down, potentially paving the way for a leadership challenge if Burnham defeats a strong Reform UK opponent.
Lammy acknowledged that Burnham would “be a great addition to parliament” and confirmed he would campaign in the constituency, which lies on the edge of Wigan. However, he lamented the internal wrangling of the past week, including Simons’ resignation and Wes Streeting’s departure as health secretary after failing to gather sufficient support for a direct leadership challenge. “I’m not going to sugar-coat this, I thought that the Labour party over the last 10 days had a spectacular own goal after those local election results,” Lammy said. “We now need to unite and pull together. We have a byelection to fight. We need to remember our responsibilities as a government. We are not in opposition. We have the levers of power.”
Starmer’s Message to Labour Staff
Addressing Labour HQ staff, Starmer emphasised the need to focus on governmental achievements despite recent difficulties. “It’s not been easy circumstances in the last 10 days. But you have just got on with the job that we asked you to do,” he said, praising GDP growth, falling NHS waiting times, and the introduction of the Employment Rights Act and renters’ rights. He acknowledged public frustration: “The election results tell us that people are frustrated, they don’t feel that their lives have changed quickly enough. We need to build up the urgency of what we do. We need a bit more hope in there. And we need to remember at all times what we are here to do. We were elected to government to serve the people of this country.”
Without naming Burnham, Starmer called for unity against Reform UK: “It is Labour versus Reform. We will know very shortly who the candidate is. Whoever they are I am going to support them 100% and I want every member, everyone in our movement to support them. A Labour candidate to beat Reform. That is the fight that we are in.”
Debate on EU Reunification
Reform UK is expected to campaign heavily on Makerfield amid speculation that Labour might consider reversing Brexit. This follows Wes Streeting’s Saturday speech suggesting Britain’s long-term future lay in rejoining the EU, a stance dismissed as “odd” by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. Lammy, when asked, said he was proud of rebuilding closer cooperation with EU member states, removing trade barriers, and bringing the UK back into the Erasmus scheme. However, he reiterated the government’s red lines: ruling out rejoining the customs union, single market, or full membership. “I’m not going to make a commitment about the next election,” he said. On whether he would like the UK to rejoin one day, Lammy stated: “I’m committed to collective responsibility, the manifesto we stood on. Wes Streeting has left the government. He can have a debate, he can comment. That is not my position.”
