Starmer ‘to weigh up his future as PM this weekend’ after ministers tell him to step down - latest

Starmer ‘to weigh up his future as PM this weekend’ after ministers tell him to step down - latest Ministers tell The Independent they will urge Starmer to quit but PM said he will ‘not walk away’ from No.10 - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments The prime minister will consider his next step over the weekend as he spends time with family, it is understood. A mountain of pressure weighs upon Sir Keir Starmer as Cabinet ministers urge him to stand down, following Andy Burnham’s landslide victory in the Makerfield by-election. The Independent has spoken to ministers who have confirmed they will be urging him to quit, and to hand the keys to No10 to the Greater Manchester mayor. Heidi Alexander is understood to have been the first to tell the prime minister to go. However, the prime minister has said he will “not walk away” from his premiership and will fight any leadership contest that comes about. Though, private sources said Starmer recognises the undeniable pressure from backbenchers for him to go. He is expected to take the weekend with his wife and children to decide what to do, The Times reported. Earlier, Sir Keir warned that a leadership challenge could plunge the country “into chaos” as he called on the party to “pull together” and “take the fight” to Reform in the Greater Manchester Mayoralty contest. PM calls for his party to 'pull together' to fight Reform The prime minister said he had not yet directly spoken with Mr Burnham since his victory, but added that he will, and had already sent a message of congratulations to him. In a lunchtime call with Labour staffers, he called for the party to “pull together” in taking the fight to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and warned against “turning on each other”. Sir Keir Starmer said: “The one thing we’ve got to avoid doing is plunging our party and our country into chaos by turning on each other and tearing apart our party and our movement. “That has never worked. That’s what the last government did. We need to learn that lesson.” Sir Keir is understood to have amassed a war chest to fund his campaign 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. Labour MPs demand Burnham ‘coronation’ as PM with ministers set to urge Starmer to quit Labour MPs are clamouring for a coronation of Andy Burnham as prime minister, after his stunning victory in the Makerfield by-election, to prevent a drawn-out leadership battle that could crush the party's general election hopes. Ministers have told The Independent they are asking for meetings with Sir Keir Starmer to urge him to set a timetable to quit, to make way for the former Greater Manchester mayor to take the keys to No 10. Cabinet members, including Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood have previously told to do so. But a defiant Keir Starmer has refused to step down and made it clear he will fight any leadership contest, calling on the party “to pull together” and “avoid plunging the country into chaos”. Ministers turn on Starmer as Labour MPs demand Burnham ‘coronation’ as PM YouGov: 44 per cent of Britons say Burnham should challenge for the leadership – only 19 per cent say he shouldn’t Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports: - YouGov snap polling shows that if a contest is triggered, 38 per cent want Starmer to stand down and not take part, but 36 per cent think the prime minister should run himself - 23 per cent of Britons think Burnham would be a better prime minister than Starmer - 32 per cent anticipate that if Burnham were to become prime minister it would be a change from Starmer, while 43 per don’t think there would be much difference Heidi Alexander was the first MP to tell Starmer to go Heidi Alexander, the Secretary of State for Transport is understood to have been the first to tell the prime minister to go. Other ministers have told The Independent they plan to tell Sir Keir Starmer he must set out a timetable to leave No 10. Cabinet members, including Yvette Cooper, Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood are also said to be preparing to repeat their earlier demands that he do so, in the wake of Mr Burnham’s victory. PM calls for his party to 'pull together' to fight Reform The prime minister said he had not yet directly spoken with Mr Burnham since his victory, but added that he will, and had already sent a message of congratulations to him. In a lunchtime call with Labour staffers, he called for the party to “pull together” in taking the fight to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and warned against “turning on each other”. Sir Keir Starmer said: “The one thing we’ve got to avoid doing is plunging our party and our country into chaos by turning on each other and tearing apart our party and our movement. “That has never worked. That’s what the last government did. We need to learn that lesson.” Sir Keir is understood to have amassed a war chest to fund his campaign 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. Reform cannot win a general election – and Makerfield has shown us why Political editor David Maddox explains why the crushing by-election defeat shows that the Reform bubble has burst: The Reform bubble has spectacularly burst in Makerfield with the party’s crushing defeat to Andy Burnham – and shows exactly why Nigel Farage will never become prime minister. While the by-election itself will not be the reason for the demise of Reform’s hopes, it has shone a spotlight on the idea that the party could march into Downing Street as somehow being inevitable. Reform cannot win a general election – and Makerfield has shown us why What Andy Burnham as prime minister might mean for your mortgage, taxes and more Sign up to our free money newsletter for investment analysis and expert advice to help you build wealthSIGN UP Andy Burnham’s landslide win of the Makerfield by-election has Britons wondering if he could really be the next prime minister and, if he is, what that might mean for their finances. We’ve all seen politicians say they plan to do one thing, and ultimately be incapable or unwilling to make it happen – so it remains to be seen if Mr Burnham in No 10 would be able to replicate the success he has seen as mayor of Greater Manchester. But, based on what he has previously said on the economy, The Independent takes a look at how your pocket might be impacted in the event of a change in leadership. Business and Money editor Karl Matchett reports: What Andy Burnham as prime minister might mean for your money Editorial: An Andy Burnham coronation is not the answer to Labour’s problems We congratulate the former Manchester mayor on a historic by-election victory that has re-energised Labour and reminded it to take the fight to Reform – but the keys to No 10 cannot be handed to him without a sterner test of his credentials The Edge Green Street ground of Ashton Town Football Club might not seem the obvious place in which to spark a revolution, but it was carefully chosen by Andy Burnham as the location for his Makerfield by-election victory speech. With the winning candidate dressed down in polo shirt and slacks, in a grassroots sort of venue, the “optics” of it all underlined his status as tribune of the people. The prime minister, we may note, is rarely seen without a suit and tie, and has struggled to shake off his reputation as a habitue of the VIP box at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. An Andy Burnham coronation is not the answer to Labour’s problems Rejoice! Finally, it’s all falling apart for Reform A surprisingly poor second place for Nigel Farage’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election is but the latest sign that the electorate has seen through the hard-right party’s limited offering, says David Aaronovitch: It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. The Makerfield polls got it badly wrong. Those pollsters who didn’t weight their raw results towards Reform got much closer than those who did, but none got remotely close to Andy Burnham’s 20-point margin of victory. Reform’s second placing – behind Labour by more than 9,000 votes – is a reminder that the excited read-across from May’s local elections was mistaken. It was argued that Burnham faced an uphill task in Makerfield, as demonstrated by the wipeout of Labour’s local councillors by Nigel Farage’s outfit in May. Back then, Reform got 50 per cent of the vote, and Makerfield placed in Reform’s top 10 most winnable seats. Rejoice! Finally, it’s all falling apart for Reform Alan Johnson thinks 'it's over for Starmer' Former home secretary Alan Johnson, a previous Starmer loyalist, has told Andrew Marr he think it’s over for the prime minister, according to reports. Matthew Harris, editor of Tonight with Andrew Marr, posted on X: “Former Home Sec Alan Johnson who was, till now, a loyal defender of Sir Keir Starmer tells @AndrewMarr9 “[If I could speak to him now] I’d say it’s over Keir..Andy is going to stand…and he’s going to win..yes to a coronation BUT Andy should go to the country[this year]”. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments