Highlights
- Report says Starmer is preparing to announce his resignation on Monday.
- Peter Kyle says they have no reason to believe the reports are true.
- Pressure on Starmer has intensified after Burnham entered parliament.
- More than 100 Labour MPs have publicly called on Starmer to quit.
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer is expected to announce on Monday that he will step down, according to a report by the Observer, which said he was preparing to resign and set out a timetable for his departure after mounting pressure from Labour MPs to make way for Andy Burnham to become Labour leader.
The newspaper reported that Starmer was discussing the matter with his wife at his Chequers country residence before making a final decision and that senior Labour figures expected a clear statement on his future as soon as Monday.
Reuters, however, reported that a government source said Starmer remained focused on governing and pointed to previous statements he has made to that effect.
Starmer says he will fight as leadership contest looms
Business and trade secretary Peter Kyle also said on Sunday he had no reason to believe reports that Starmer was planning to resign.
Speaking to Sky News, Kyle said he had a "frank" conversation with Starmer on Friday.
Asked about reports that Starmer was preparing to resign, Kyle said: "I have nothing to believe that they are true. I am seeing a lot of speculation out there."
"Today, as on every other day I've known Keir, he is out there working hard. At the same time, he is also trying to create the space where he can think and reflect on the political realities and challenges - and the opportunities - that are before us," Kyle added.
Kyle declined to go into detail about the contents of his Friday conversation with Starmer, beyond saying that it was lengthy and that "not once ... did he ever ask about self-interest. It was always about the country".
Pressure on Starmer has been building for months but increased sharply on Friday when his rival Andy Burnham won a seat in parliament, allowing him to launch a formal leadership challenge.
Starmer said on Friday he would fight any challenge to his leadership and urged Labour not to tear itself apart with infighting.
The Observer, which did not name its sources, reported that Starmer had reached the conclusion that his position was no longer tenable after speaking to cabinet ministers, advisers, donors and trade union leaders.
More than 100 Labour lawmakers, roughly a quarter of the party's representatives in the House of Commons, have publicly called on Starmer to quit or set out a timetable for his departure, according to a Reuters tally.
Andy Burnham Win Puts Fresh Pressure on Keir Starmer
Starmer led the centre-left Labour Party to a landslide election victory in 2024, but has become deeply unpopular after a series of scandals and policy U-turns that have given many voters the impression that he cannot deliver the improvement in living standards that he promised.
If Starmer were to resign or be removed, Britain would install its seventh prime minister in just over a decade, the highest turnover in nearly two centuries. The rapid change in leadership reflects anger at successive governments' failures to improve public services and tackle issues such as illegal immigration.
Burnham, a 56-year-old career politician, is viewed by many in Labour as the most likely successor to Starmer, either through a negotiated transfer of power or a formal leadership contest.
The mayor of Greater Manchester has built a strong support base within Labour and on Friday comfortably defeated a challenge from Nigel Farage's right-wing populist party to win a vacant parliamentary seat.
Although Burnham did not immediately launch a formal challenge against Starmer, he used his victory speech to promise a new path for the country. His allies have urged Starmer to step down voluntarily and hand over power.
Former health secretary Wes Streeting has also said he is willing to challenge Starmer for the leadership.
The Times newspaper reported on Saturday that Burnham would remove finance minister Rachel Reeves if he became prime minister after his advisers concluded she did not represent a sufficient change of direction.
