Starmer Getting On With The Job Amid Leadership Tensions

Downing Street insists Keir Starmer is is “getting on with the job” as he tries to push through major policies in what could be his final weeks in No.10.

On Monday, the prime minister gave tech companies three months to introduce measures to prevent children sending and receiving explicit images on their mobile phones.

“This is not an impossible challenge,” the PM said in a speech at London Tech Week. “These are some of the most innovative companies in the world and I believe they can solve it.

“But if they choose not to, then we will act and we will change the law because when it comes to the safety of our children, standing by is not an option.”

The PM is also expected to finally unveil the government’s long-awaited defence investment plan ahead of a Nato summit being held in Turkey next month.

All of this activity is taking place against the backdrop of next week’s Makerfield by-election, when Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham appears on course to become an MP once again.

An opinion poll last week gave him a 10-point lead over his Reform UK rival, Robert Kenyon, and one Labour MP who has knocked on doors in the seat told HuffPost UK that “feels about right”.

Burnham admitted last week that he plans to replace Starmer as PM, with speculation mounting that he could launch his leadership bid within days of his return to Westminster.

The prime minister’s official spokesman denied that Starmer is in a hurry to create a legacy he can point to if his time in office is entering its final weeks.

He said: “The prime minister has made it clear that he is very much focused on the job in hand as the PM.

″[The tech announcement] is further evidence of the prime minister being determined to take action when it puts people at risk.

“He is getting on with the job and delivering for the British people in a number of different ways.”

Allies of Starmer have made it clear that he will definitely stand in any leadership contest, with former health secretary Wes Streeting also insisting that he plans to throw his hat into the ring.

Despite the sudden burst of activity emanating from No.10, Westminster is currently in a holding pattern as we await the verdict of the people of Makerfield.

Whether Burnham wins or loses, it still seems certain that Starmer will face a leadership challenge.

A month may have passed since the May 7 elections which saw Labour thrashed in England, Scotland and Wales, but the feelings of anger and disenchantment are still raw among the party’s MPs.

Starmer may well be “getting on with the job” right now, but it is unlikely that he will be able to for much longer.

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