- Pressure on Starmer increased after Andy Burnham entered Parliament.
- Wes Streeting also signals he is ready to challenge Starmer’s rule.
- More than 100 Labor lawmakers would like Starmer to step down.
LONDON: Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to resign on Monday and has set a timetable for his departure, according to the British government Observer ” the newspaper reported, although a government source said Starmer remained focused on his government job.
The threat to Starmer’s position, which has been building for months, sharply increased on Friday when his rival Andy Burnham won a seat in Parliament that would allow him to launch a formal leadership challenge.
THE Observer The report said Starmer was discussing the issue with his wife at his Checkers country home before making a final decision, but that senior Labor figures expected a clear statement on his future as early as Monday.
However, a government source said Starmer remained focused on his job and highlighted his previous statements to that effect.
The British leader said on Friday he would oppose any challenge to his leadership and urged the Labor Party not to tear itself apart in infighting.
Starmer’s popularity has plummeted
Starmer led the center-left Labor Party to a landslide victory in the 2024 election but became deeply unpopular after a series of scandals and policy reversals that left many voters with the general impression that he could not deliver the improvement in their living standards that he had promised.
If he were to resign or be ousted, it would mean the country would install its seventh prime minister in just over a decade – the highest turnover in almost two centuries, a reflection of anger at the failure of successive governments to improve public services and tackle problems like illegal immigration.
More than 100 elected MPs from Starmer’s party – around a quarter of all Labor representatives in the House of Commons – have publicly said they want him to resign or have set a timetable for his departure, according to a report. Reuters pointing.
THE Observer The report, which does not name its sources, says Starmer came to the conclusion his position was no longer tenable after speaking to ministers, advisers, donors and union leaders.
Burnham waits in the wings
Burnham, a 56-year-old career politician, is seen by many in Labor as Starmer’s most likely successor – whether through a negotiated transfer of power or a formal leadership contest.
After building a power base within the Labor Party as mayor of Greater Manchester in northern England, he easily staved off the threat of Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist party to win an election for a vacant parliamentary seat on Friday.
Burnham did not immediately mount a formal challenge to Starmer, but used his victory speech to promise a new path for the country. His allies have urged Starmer to agree to step down and voluntarily hand over power.
Former health minister Wes Streeting also said he was prepared to challenge Starmer.
The times The newspaper reported on Saturday that Burnham would sack Finance Minister Rachel Reeves if he became prime minister after his advisers concluded she did not represent a sufficient change of direction.
Reuters could not immediately verify this report.
