As another retailer eyes up the shopping centre on the outskirts of York – jewellery specialist Pandora is looking to open in the old Accessories unit – we look back at the place that wasn’t just somewhere you shopped but a ‘destination’.

Monks Cross Shopping Centre under construction in 1998.

Remember the fanfare opening in 1998, when TV presenter Jeff Banks turned up to do the honours? And who made a beeline for Hollyoaks heartthrob Will Mellor when he was invited to open HMV?

Will Mellor, right, then a Hollyoaks heartthrob, cuts the ribbon and opens the HMV store at the new Monks Cross shopping park. He is pictured with then store manager Andy Syson and HMV’s mascot, Nipper the dog. (Image: The Press)

In the late 1990s and early 2000s a trip to Monks Cross involved a drive out on the ring road and the smug satisfaction of finding a free parking space.

Monks Cross Shopping Centre under construction in 1998

You could step out of the car and straight into a strip of big‑name stores without having to battle your way down Coney Street – to the dismay of many city-centre traders whose jingling tills were slightly more subdued. It’s fair to say the whole city-centre versus out-of-town shopping debate filled many column inches of this very newspaper.

Before Primark and B&M: memories of Monks Cross Shopping Centre York.

But for many shoppers, it was a time when a trip to Monks Cross felt like the height of sophistication – even though you were really just walking around a big car park with a WHSmith bag and ketchup on your sleeve.

For many, those early days will also be forever tied to a handful of now‑vanished shopfronts.

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HMV with its wall of chart CDs; PC World stacked with chunky monitors and boxed software; Woolworths with its endless pick’n’mix and slightly chaotic aisles. Add a Burger King stop to the circuit and you had the perfect Saturday.

Monks Cross was also a rite of passage where teenagers got their first Saturday jobs, learned how to fold jumpers properly and sprinted across the car park on a ten‑minute break. It was also where newly‑qualified drivers practised parking in slightly wonky bays.

A Monks Cross “date” meant sharing a burger, loitering in HMV pretending to have very serious opinions about albums, and wandering past windows full of things you couldn’t yet afford.

Close your eyes and you can still see the logos that have faded from the fascias: the familiar sweep of the Debenhams sign and BHS Homestore promising new towels and matching lamps.

Many will remember the sweeping sign of Debenhams at Monks Cross Shopping Centre.

Bu it wasn’t all plain sailing. Woolies shut up shop in 2005. Pick ‘n’ mix was never to be the same again. Fast forward to 2018 and retail giant Arcadia also pulled out, spelling the closure of Evans, TopMan, TopShop, Miss Selfridge and Outfit.

Stores earmarked for closure at Monks Cross Shopping Centre in 2018.

The stores had shared the same south-facing row of the shopping park where the vacant former BHS store had stood empty since August 2016.

Today, the old names have been replaced by Primark, Decathlon, Smyths, Sports Direct, B&M and a parade of value fashion, sportswear and homeware. Instead of queueing for the Christmas single, you queue with an armful of holiday tops you never knew you needed. Instead of a new stereo, you come away with bulk‑buy cleaning products and storage boxes. Shoppers can now also bag the latest best-seller since Waterstones moved in.

But for all the latest branding, Monks Cross still feels familiar to the ‘good old days’ – you still tell yourself you’re “just popping to one shop” and end up doing the full lap.

What are your Monks Cross memories? What stores would you like to see make a comeback?

She found fame in the early noughties, and now she’s winning an army of new fans in Take That’s spectacular Circus Live tour which is going live on Amazon tonight

Among the fantastic acrobats, trapeze artists and tight-rope walkers on Take That’s spectacular Circus Live tour, there’s also a famous singer joining Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald on stage. The Circus is back in Manchester this weekend, and on Saturday night is being streamed live across the world on Amazon Music too.

The Take That show is back on the road and wowing fans with an even more spectacular reboot than the 2009 original. And among the many surprises and updates this time around includes the star guest who appears in the opening and also at the finale of the show.

The show all starts with the Greatest Day as Take That‘s trio appear on stage beneath a giant balloon. But keep your eyes peeled as the glamorous Ringmaster is also a very familiar face.

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For it’s none other than former Pop Idol star and West End favourite Zoe Birkett. Zoe first found fame as she chased her dream of pop stardom on the short lived ITV reality talent show and went on to make the finals.

In more recent times she has become an acclaimed West End star, winning plaudits for her portrayal of Tina Turner in the musical about the icon in 2024.

Zoe is seen at the start of the Take That show, and then you cannot fail to miss her at the spectacular finale. A giant spooky Circus Ringmaster puppet emerges onto stage, laughing as bursts of flames emerge.

The ‘Ringmaster’ booms out a message to fans saying: “Ladies and Gentleman, for your entertainment the circus is filled with thrills and death-defying feats… The greatest show on earth some would say.”

The voice deepens as it talks of another side to the Circus, the “dark side” and letting the “fire burn within you”. The puppet then begins to sing out: “Keep the fire burning” as the familiar strains of Relight My Fire ring out and the full cast of performers head out onto the stage.

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And believe it or not, the face and voice of that spectacular puppet is Zoe. She has been joining the band on stage each night of the tour to sing the famous “Lulu bit” of Relight My Fire.

But many fans may not have realised until now that she was behind the booming voice and spooky face that comes alive on the puppet.

Zoe, confirmed the news to delighted fans earlier this month by sharing a video of her voicing the giant puppet on social media. She wrote on Facebook: “I don’t just sing it….. Face and voice of the biggest puppet this summer.”

Fans say they’ve been “blown away” by Zoe’s starring moment in the show. Zoe, 40, is originally from County Durham, and has been appearing at all the Take That shows on the ongoing UK tour.

Linda Cook wrote: “Relight my fire blew me away!! It’s AWESOME!! You are epic Zoe.”

Rachel Bell said: “You were awesome! We thought it was you and you blew us away. Loved you since Get Happy!”

Susan Kemp added: “Best part of the show for me! Zoe Birkett you were amazing!”

Take That play the Etihad Stadium onSaturday June 20 and Sunday June 21, before returning again on the final night of the UK dates on Wednesday, July 1.

The cosy pub is located in a Cambridgeshire village but the food transported me thousands of miles to Thailand

Thai cuisine is often a crowd pleaser for its powerful flavours and hearty portions. After a few months travelling last year, I experienced a real case of travel blues since returning from Thailand. While the setting may not quite rival the immaculate views of south-east Asia, an authentic meal in a pub in Harston has brought back a little of the magic.

The CamBites series sees our reporters going around Cambridgeshire in search of the best food that isn’t too expensive. The Queens Head, on Royston Road, offers “expertly prepared” Thai food cooked by their “exceptional authentic chefs”, according to their website.

From curries to stir fries, the menu had plenty to offer. I’m a sucker for Thai food, and I love a Pad Thai, so I was intrigued by each of the options.

Feeling a bit adventurous, I chose to try the Thai fried rice with beef costing £15.95. For a drink, I chose a classic, crisp Diet Coke.

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While I waited for my food, I admired the charming décor with pretty lights hanging from the ceiling. After only a few minutes, my food arrived. Seated at the back of the restaurant, I sensed its arrival before I saw it – the aroma had already found me.

I tucked into my dish expecting it to have a slight kick to it, but was pleasantly surprised to find it was mild but yet packed with flavours. Combined with a mix of vegetables including peppers, snap peas, and tomatoes, it all added to the texture and gave the Thai fried rice a nice crunch.

Although snap peas are not my favourite of foods, it did complement the dish well. The beef was so soft and tender and worked well with the rice. However, the meal could have done with a bit more beef added to it to really round it off.

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Saying that, I didn’t quite scrape the plate down to the last bite as I found myself pretty full by the end. The total cost of my meal and drink came to £18.95.

If you find yourself in or near Harston, The Queens Head is definitely worth a try, especially with some friends.

All of our food reviews are paid for by the writer. The establishments do not know we will be reviewing their food, allowing us to make fair judgements on each place.

When the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered a strike on the Lebanese capital of Beirut on June 14, Donald Trump was not amused. Fearing that the attack threatened an agreement with Iran on ending the war between the two countries, the US president lashed out. Netanyahu, he said, has “no fucking judgment”.

He was not the first US president to be moved to curse words by the Israeli leader.

When Bill Clinton first met Netanyahu in the summer of 1996, Netanyahu lectured him about the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Clinton emerged from the meeting exasperated. “Who the fuck does he think he is?” Clinton asked his aides. “Who’s the fucking superpower here?”

And then there were his relations with Barack Obama, which were bad from the beginning – and got worse when Obama tried to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran. During a hot mic incident in 2011, before the deal was even an issue, French leader Nicholas Sarkozy told Obama that Netanyahu was “a liar”. Obama replied: “You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day.”

The journalist Jeffrey Goldberg kept a running list of the insults that he had heard Obama staffers direct at Netanyahu in private. One of them was “chickenshit”.

Why has Netanyahu exasperated so many US presidents and their aides? One reason is that he has been extremely singleminded in advancing what he sees as the interests of his country.

But the same goes for a lot of other global leaders, too. As a result, it can be tempting to explain the tension by looking at Netanyahu’s personality – and there may be some validity to these explanations.

But more broadly, it is the unique nature of US-Israeli relations – and the place that the country has in American domestic politics – which explains why Netanyahu has stressed so many presidents out.

One of the reasons the Israeli leader so frustrates American presidents is that they cannot just ignore him or cut his country off from US support. There are a number of large pro-Israel constituencies in the United States – and modern presidents have always felt pressure to please them.

Furthermore, Netanyahu has been more than happy to mobilise domestic US pro-Israel groups against American presidents when he has felt the need.

When Netanyahu visited Washington, DC in 1998 to face pressure from Clinton to relinquish territory in the West Bank, he spent the night before giving a speech to a thousand members of the pro-Israeli Christian right, a group vocally opposed to Clinton. He also met with prominent Republicans. “I know where you were last night,” Clinton reportedly remarked wryly the next day.

Netanyahu was also particularly active in rallying opposition to the Obama administration, especially its nuclear deal with Iran.

Whenever Obama tried to pressure the Israeli leader to take a step like building fewer settlements in the West Bank, opposition would erupt at home – stoked by Netanyahu. Figuring that the political pain wasn’t worth it – especially given Netanyahu seemed intractable anyway – Obama eventually decided to back off.

More recently, as casualties mounted in Gaza during Israel’s assault on the territory following the Hamas attacks of October 7 2023, Joe Biden is reported to have called Netanyahu a “fucking liar” over his conduct of the conflict.

It’s no coincidence that many of Netanyahu’s clashes have been with Democratic presidents. This is not only because they have tended to be more willing to question Israel, but also because he himself seems to have decided to make a strategic choice to align himself with the conservative right in recent years.

Critics of Netanyahu’s strategy have warned that by turning support for Israel into an increasingly partisan political issue in the US, Netanyahu was risking the eventual loss of support for Israel among the American left.

At a minimum, his alignment with the Republican Party has made him reliant on the continued goodwill of that party and its presidents. But it is now a Republican president, Donald Trump, telling him he has “no fucking judgment”. So what went wrong, and what does this mean?

À lire aussi :
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have different war aims – can the Iran peace deal survive?

Unwinnable war

Over the past year, Netanyahu pushed too hard for too much. He has long dreamed of persuading an American president to join him in attacking Iran. But he doesn’t seem to have considered how a failed or inconclusive war would affect American views of Israel – including on the right.

From Trump’s perspective, it now looks like Netanyahu manoeuvred him into a costly and unwinnable war. Even worse, Netanyahu doesn’t seem to accept what seems to Trump to be self-evident – that the most important thing is to end the war as soon as possible and get the global economy humming again.

In other words, Netanyahu now finds himself in a similar dynamic with Trump as with Democratic presidents in the past. Their interests diverge, Netanyahu won’t stop playing games – and the president is really annoyed about it.

But the context is different this time around, and so the consequences are more serious. Support for Israel has collapsed in the US. Netanyahu has persuaded the Trump administration to join a war which was done great harm to the American economy and its global standing. The support of both the right and the left seems to be in doubt, leaving Israel with potentially nowhere to turn.

When future Israeli leaders consider what is left of the bilateral relationship, they may well agree with Trump about their former leader’s judgment – and reach for a few curse words of their own.

Firefighters were called to the Antalya Shawarma shop on Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough after a blaze broke at 10.45am on Saturday (June 20).

Seven fire crews attended to extinguish the blaze while police closed the road closed and urged people to avoid the area.

Two people were taken by ambulance to James Cook University Hospital for treatment.

(Image: PROVIDED)

The cause of the fire is not yet known, and the road remains closed with a cordon in place until the building housing the takeaway can be made safe.

Plumes of smoke could be seen across the town as the fire spread, with the fire service previously saying adjacent shops may also be affected.

An eyewitness at the scene said: “It looks so bad, we saw the smoke so thought we’d come have a look. The shop is completely gone.”

Another said: “The smell is horrendous, I just hope everyone is okay. It’s always horrible when someone loses a business they’ve worked hard for.”

(Image: OLIVIA HOWLETT)

A Cleveland Fire Brigade spokesperson said previously: “We are is currently attending an incident at 276 Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough.

“Eight fire appliances, an aerial platform and three duty officers are currently in attendance.

“Members of the public are asked to avoid the area where possible to ensure emergency-service vehicles have clear and unrestricted access.

“Further information will be provided when available.”

The North East Ambulance Service confirmed it sent an ambulance crew, one clinical team leader, one duty officer and two HART resources to the scene and took two people to hospital. Their injuries are yet to be confirmed.

Long after the 23,626 fans had vacated Fitzgerald Stadium four members of the Armagh squad wandered out for one last look around one of the great amphitheatres of the GAA.

Kieran McGeeney hopes the elder statesmen of his Armagh squad defer thoughts of retirement following their devastating 13-point loss to All-Ireland champions Kerry in Killarney on Saturday.

Long after the 23,626 fans had vacated Fitzgerald Stadium four members of the Armagh squad wandered out for one last look around one of the great amphitheatres of the GAA.

It was telling that 2024 skipper Aidan Forker was flanked by Andrew Murnin, Paddy Burns and Rory Grugan.

McGeeney might have a job on his hands convincing the aforementioned quartet to return again when, in his own words, Armagh felt “a million miles away” while Kerry were far more clinical – falling just two points shy of their 32-point haul from last season’s stunning quarter-final win over the Orchard.

“Everybody in that changing room still has a lot to offer,” stated McGeeney, who was warmly embraced by his former coach Kieran Donaghy in the midst of his post-match press briefing.

“The likes of Aidan (Forker) and Rory (Grugan) for example – they’ve only come back into fitness around May time.

“They had no pre-season, they were starting to come and I still think themselves and Andrew (Murnin) and Paddy Burns still have a lot to offer.

“I think too if we had some of those older players at the tail end of this year that we missed from last year, but that’s the hard thing about keeping fella’s after a day like today.

“You can feel like you’re a million miles away so you just have to let the dust settle and see where everybody comes back and start making plans then.

He added: “We got the Ulster championship, we did okay, the League was decent, we were just pipped in a lot of those games, but just the last 10 days will always put a bit of a sour taste on it.

“We didn’t maybe go where we are capable of going but if it was easy, everybody would be at it.”

Jack O’Connor, meanwhile, was able to get crucial minutes into the legs of Sean O’Shea with the All-Star attacker making a great late block on Oisin Conaty.

“It was fantastic to get Seánie (O’Shea) back,” said O’Connor.

“A couple of weeks ago we didn’t think he’d make it back, but the man is such a leader in the group that getting him out on the field and getting minutes into him is crucial. It just increases our options.”

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GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Visitors to Grand Canyon National Park are being warned about extreme temperatures that will hit the popular destination early next week after a recent increase in heat-related incidents in the inner canyon, including the deaths of three hikers.

The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat watch at the Grand Canyon for midday Monday through Tuesday, forecasting temperatures that could reach or exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) at the low-elevation Phantom Ranch.

People are “strongly advised” to avoid hiking in the middle of the day, the National Park Service said this week in a statement following a “recent influx of heat-related incidents.”

An extreme heat watch was in effect June 16 when two hikers, ages 67 and 68, were found dead on the North Kaibab Trail, which the NPS describes as the most difficult of the major inner canyon trails. The service said they appeared to have succumbed to symptoms of heat-related illness.

A third person, 72, died June 12 along the South Kaibab Trail after becoming ill from the heat, NPS said.

About 90 miles (145 kilometers) to the south, Oak Creek Canyon visitors and residents were evacuated late Friday as a wildfire burned hundreds of acres just north of Sedona.

Much of the Western U.S. from the Rockies to the Pacific Coast saw above-average temperatures Saturday and with even hotter weather anticipated for early next week. Officials also warned that the prolonged dry, hot weather and relatively low humidity increased the risk of fire danger.

Extreme heat increases risk of hiking at the Grand Canyon

Park and weather officials alike emphasize to visitors that hiking conditions can be deceiving. Temperatures at the rim of the Grand Canyon are often 20 to 25 degrees cooler than what hikers will experience at the bottom.

“It’s just a hot place at the bottom of the Grand Canyon,” said Justin Johndrow, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Flagstaff. Johndrow warned that the region is approaching the hottest period of the year before rain monsoon season later in the summer offers some relief.

Hikers may have cooler temperatures and an easier time going downhill to start the descending trails, but they face an intense climb of thousands of feet in elevation and much hotter bottom-of-the-canyon temperatures to get back up. Those conditions can cause heat illness symptoms to sneak up on visitors.

“That’s very strenuous even on a mild day,” Johndrow said of the hike back up to the rim. “Throw in temperatures of 105 to 110 degrees, and that causes some pretty bad problems.”

Wildfire near Oak Creek Canyon posed risk to public safety

A federal interagency team and at least a dozen local agencies were working to combat the blaze, which was burning roughly 500 acres (200 hectares) of very steep and rough terrain near Oak Creek Canyon, said Dick Fleishman, fire information officer with the Southwest area complex incident management team.

The fire was concentrated in the Red Rock-Secret Mountain wilderness area about 7 miles (11 kilometers) north of Sedona, but it started to creep into the Coconino National Forest. Firefighters were working to contain the burn, to prevent it from moving toward Oak Creek Canyon, where residents and visitors were evacuated, or Sedona, and to prepare for the possibility that it does.

Scottie Scheffler gave himself a shot at completing the career grand slam but will have to produce something special to reel in Wyndham Clark’s six-stroke lead if he is to win the US Open at Shinnecock Hills.

World number one Scheffler, who headed straight to the putting green after shooting a 69 which moved him into joint second, turns 30 on Sunday and with it also being Father’s Day, he will be hoping to make it a triple celebration.

However, in addition to finding an answer as to how to score significantly enough to put pressure on Clark – bidding to become the first wire-to-wire US Open winner since Martin Kaymer in 2014 – he will also have to hope his compatriot’s good fortune and escapology skills finally desert him.

Clark made crucial par saves from five feet (three times), six feet, seven feet and 14ft but also produced some stunning shots, the best a 275-yard approach to inside five feet for the week’s first eagle at the par-five 16th.

That gave him an advantage of seven over the chasing pack and Clark’s lucky breaks continued at the next where he found the heavy rough but claimed a free drop from a television tower and was then allowed to place his ball after it twice rolled away.

There were also eyebrows raised about the amount of ‘gardening’ he was doing on the line of his putts over the closing holes on the Poa annua grass greens which have a reputation for becoming increasingly difficult as the day wears on.

The rules allow players to tap down spike marks but Clark spent an inordinate amount of time working on his lines.

He missed a five-footer on the last for par to offer some encouragement to the chasing pack, having signed for a level-par 70.

Since the first Masters in 1934 there have been 13 previous instances of players leading by six or more shots through 54 holes and only Greg Norman at Augusta in 1996 failed to close out victory.

“I think it’s appropriate to understand what’s at stake,” said Scheffler, who will go out with Clark in the final group.

“I think understanding the moment and giving it your best shot I think is all part of the process.

“I mean, I’d rather be leading but I have an opportunity to go out there and have a great round and give myself a chance to win the tournament.”

Scheffler at least put himself in the picture, unlike Rory McIlroy, whose bid for a first US Open title since making his major breakthrough in 2011 collapsed after the turn after going out in a two-under 33.

Three successive birdies from the fifth moved him to within four of Clark, who was just teeing off, but he overshot the green at the difficult 10th for the second successive day for the first of five bogeys on an inward nine of 40 and a round of 73 which left him three over and his hopes in tatters.

“I feel good. I have got more and more comfortable every time I have got in these positions,” said Clark.

“I’m hoping I can bring my A-game finally.”

There are only five players under par with Sahith Theegala (70), Tom Kim (72), Sam Stevens (72) joining Scheffler, with four at level par and English duo Matt Fitzpatrick, who struggled to a 74, and Tommy Fleetwood, who ground out a level-par 70, one over.

Fleetwood famously shot a final-round 63 to miss out by one the last time the US Open was at Shinnecock but in the current conditions a repeat seems unlikely.

Ramside Hall picked up the title at the North East Chamber of Commerce Business Awards on Wednesday (June 17).

The award recognised the hotel’s ongoing investment and rapid growth, which has transformed it into a leading destination in the region.

(Image: Ramside Hall Hotel)

Over more than a decade, the hotel has expanded its facilities, including the recent opening of The Pin – a £9.2 million development featuring state-of-the-art driving ranges, electronic games, a bowling alley, and an American-style food and bar offering.

The Pin has helped put the hotel on course for a projected growth of 40 per cent this year.

John Adamson, owner of Ramside Hall Hotel, said: “We are thrilled to have been chosen for the award, which we see as real recognition for the continued investment in Ramside Hall Hotel.

“The Pin has had a phenomenal response since the day we opened but that’s not just a success story for us, it’s for the region as a whole as it turns a spotlight on what we have to offer and helps grow visitor numbers.”

Mr Adamson said: “Ramside Hall Hotel is not only responding to changes within the hospitality sector – it is actively shaping what a modern destination resort should be.”

It comes after Andy Burnham stormed to victory in the Makerfield by-election

The number of MPs to call on Sir Keir Starmer to quit has reached 100, as pressure continues to build on the Prime Minister after Andy Burnham stormed to victory in the Makerfield by-election.

Calls for Sir Keir to go have been building since Labour took a hammering in May’s local elections, and now marks around a quarter of the party’s 403 MPs. The Prime Minister has repeatedly vowed to fight any leadership challenge, insisting he will not “walk away”.

But Mr Burnham’s by-election victory has prompted more backbenchers and Labour grandees to call for Sir Keir to stand down.

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Some MPs who had signed a statement rejecting calls for a leadership election last month have now reversed their position, while 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 a number of Cabinet ministers on Friday, some of whom are reported to have told him he should set out a timetable for his departure. Some in Westminster believe a contest could begin as early as next week, but allies of Mr Burnham favour a longer wait to allow them to prepare for government.

Former transport secretary Louise Haigh, one of his supporters, said after his 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.”

It is understood that Mr Burnham’s camp wants Sir Keir to set out his plans in the coming days but would accept a timetable that kept him in No 10 until September. But former deputy leader Baroness Harriet Harman has urged the party to move faster, telling Sky News’s Electoral Dysfunction podcast ministers could not be left “in a state of paralysis all through the summer”.

She said there is a “sense of collective movement” from within Labour. She added: “I think it’s going to happen – that Andy Burnham is going to become prime minister. Keir Starmer is going to be leaving office.”

Jess Phillips, who quit as a minister last month, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she was looking forward to Mr Burnham arriving in Westminster on Monday and seeing prospective leadership candidates setting out their stall to Labour MPs. The Birmingham Yardley MP said Mr Burnham had “proved his hypothesis” that he could take on Reform UK by winning in Makerfield.

She added: “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.”

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Peter Swallow, one of more than 100 MPs who signed a letter backing Sir Keir just last month, is among those who have 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”.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson told LBC that the Prime Minister now has to step aside. He said: “I’d say it’s over, Keir. And listen, he’s a bright guy. He knows it’s over. He will forever be in the history books as the man who turned us around, Labour, from the second-worst result in our history to the second best result in our history in one five-year period.”

Labour peer Charlie Falconer said Sir Keir has “absolutely no authority” because “everybody assumes” Mr Burnham is going to challenge him and win. He said he would advise Sir Keir not to stand in a leadership contest and instead agree a handover, preferably before the parliamentary recess on July 16.

“There should be an agreed transition process in which Andy and Keir cooperate as to when the handover should take place,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. But Sir Keir appeared to be digging in, warning Labour staffers during a call on Friday lunchtime to avoid “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 also amassed a campaign war chest to fight any leadership challenge with the backing of a group of private donors, as first reported by The Times. Fundraising has ramped up in the last two days with total pledges running into six figures, sources said.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told Sky News he did not understand Sir Keir’s strategy. He said: “I don’t understand what Keir Starmer’s strategy is in this other than saying he’s going to fight it, but not doing anything very obvious to fight it. I just wonder if we’re not going to witness a coronation of Andy Burnham in a few days’ time.”

The Islington North MP said it was “very strange” that there had been no policy debate so far. Sir Keir and his backers in the Parliamentary Labour Party have stressed the need to focus on the by-election for the Greater Manchester mayoralty triggered by Mr Burnham’s election.

That by-election is scheduled to take place on July 30, with Labour set to announce its candidate on June 26. The party is already pitching the contest 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 with a strong challenge of their own.