All Eyes Are On Starmer Amid Mounting Expectations PM Will Quit

Keir Starmer is about to resign, according to widespread reports.

Less than two years after his landslide victory in the 2024 general election, the prime minister seems to have lost the support of his party.

More than 100 Labour MPs have publicly called for him to quit and a growing list of his own cabinet ministers are said to have privately told him to stand down.

Two former cabinet ministers, Wes Streeting and John Healey, even quit over Starmer’s leadership in the last month.

Business and trade secretary Peter Kyle revealed his boss was weighing up the “political realities” in the coming days on Sunday.

Meanwhile, skills minister Jacqui Smith caused a stir when she seemed to hint the PM was heading off on Monday morning.

She told Times Radio, “I would have been happy for him to continue” – but later urged journalists not to get ahead of themselves by predicting Starmer’s next move.

Even so, the Guardian reported on Monday that Starmer was allegedly working on his resignation speech with a handful of his top team while holed up in his grace-and-favour Chequers residence over the weekend.

If that is true, it’s a complete pivot from last Friday when Starmer insisted he would not walk away from the job and would stay on to fight any leadership contest triggered by his opponents.

But No.10 has not pushed back on any reports that the PM is considering resigning, even after US president Donald Trump bizarrely predicted Starmer would quit on Sunday.

However, even if he does announce his decision to quit on Monday, several key questions remain.

Will Starmer agree to an “orderly transition” to his successor and stay in place until September?

That would allow him to tie up his legacy while building on his international reputation by attending a Nato summit and an EU “reset” summit, both in July.

It would also give his successor a chance to build up a body of policies so they can hit the ground running.

But will that successor automatically be Andy Burnham?

The outgoing Greater Manchester mayor won the Makerfield by-election last Thursday, giving him a seat in parliament and a chance to challenge Starmer’s leadership.

He is widely expected to have the support of the required 81 Labour MPs needed to oust the prime minister.

As the most popular politician within Labour, a Burnham victory is likely to be shoo-in in any leadership contest.

Several of his allies therefore want to skip holding such a disruptive race altogether, and have a “coronation” for Burnham.

But opponents suggest that would mean he does not have a mandate to rule if there has not been a battle of ideas among party members first.

Home Office minister Mike Tapp also weighed into the growing debate over whether a Starmer resignation means there should be a general election.

He said: “That would stop the constant churn and focus all politicians on delivery, instead of workplace politics.”

But that’s caused concern over the risk of further upheaval, especially as the UK teeters on the edge of its seventh prime minister in a decade.

Starmer is expected to give a statement in the Commons this afternoon to give MPs an update about his G7 trip last week.

Will he have offered any clarity about his future by then – or leave Westminster in limbo?

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