(AFP) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was reflecting this weekend on the “political realities” that he faces, a senior minister said on Sunday, amid media reports the premier would resign within days. It follows veteran Labour politician and rival Andy Burnham’s victory in a by-election on Friday, which paves the way for the 56-year-old to challenge the beleaguered Starmer to be party leader and prime minister. Any Labour leadership candidate must be a member of parliament. If Starmer does leave office this year, Britain will get its seventh prime minister in a decade — an unprecedented rate of churn in its modern history.
US President Donald Trump shared his thoughts Sunday in typically blunt fashion, writing on his Truth Social platform that “Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom”. “He failed badly on two very important subjects – IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well!” Burnham — Greater Manchester mayor since 2017 — has made clear he intends to bid to lead slumping centre-left Labour, warning in his by-election victory speech that the party had a “final chance to change”. He is expected to be sworn in as an MP on Monday. If successful ousting Starmer, he would become prime minister by default, given that ruling Labour has a huge parliamentary majority.
– ‘Frank’ talks –
Starmer, who is deeply unpopular with voters according to polling, has insisted he will fight any attempt to oust him. But the emphatic nature of Burnham’s win in the Makerfield constituency in northwest England — where he nearly doubled Labour’s majority — has increased the internal pressure on Starmer to quit. Business Secretary Peter Kyle said on Sunday that Starmer was “making time to reflect on the political realities, challenges and opportunities that he finds himself in”. “He has been engaging in conversations with a wide, wide range of people,” Kyle told Sky News broadcaster after having what he said was a “frank” conversation with Starmer on Friday. The Observer, The Guardian, and The Sunday Telegraph newspapers all reported Starmer was preparing to resign as soon as Monday. The Observer said he would “set out a timetable for his departure”, noting he had been holding weekend talks from Chequers, the countryside retreat for prime ministers. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper was among the senior ministers telling her boss to stand down, Sky News reported.
– Local elections fallout –
Starmer, who took office in July 2024, has been clinging to power for months after a tenure littered with missteps, policy U-turns, scandals and ministerial resignations. He was nearly forced out in March, over his ill-fated decision to appoint ex-Jeffrey Epstein associate Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington. Labour’s drubbing in local and regional polls in England, Scotland, and Wales last month once again intensified the pressure on him. The fallout from the polls saw Makerfield’s previous Labour MP quit in order to allow Burnham to stand there.
Burnham, a former MP and government minister under ex-prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, is due to be sworn back into parliament on Monday. From the so-called soft-left wing of Labour, he reinforced his reputation as the party’s most popular figure by easily beating the hard-right populist Reform UK party’s candidate in this week’s by-election. Reform, led by Brexit architect Nigel Farage, had won all Makerfield’s wards in last month’s local elections there. Burnham has provided little detail about his plans for government if he wins power. UK media reported that he intends to replace finance minister Rachel Reeves, while keeping interior minister Shabana Mahmood in post.
– Joe JACKSON
© 2024 AFP
