Allies of Sir Keir Starmer believe he is preparing to step down as he realises the “game is up” after facing an evaporation of support over the weekend. The Telegraph has the story.
A senior Government figure told the Telegraph the embattled Prime Minister was realising that the “game is up” and his thoughts were turning to how he could “shore up his legacy”.
They said there had been “quite a bit of movement” among Cabinet Ministers since Andy Burnham’s Makerfield by-election victory, leading Sir Keir to reconsider his previous commitment to soldiering on.
One Labour MP, who is usually considered to be a loyalist to the Prime Minister, said he believed Sir Keir would announce his departure date as soon as Monday given that his support among MPs was now down to only a handful of “friends and family”.
“There’s no one left. Literally people whose relatives work in No. 10 or people who are long term personal friends of Keir’s are pretty much the only ones left,” they said, adding that trying to stand in the way of Burnham’s path to Downing Street was “like trying to fight gravity”.
One Government figure predicted that “something will have happened by the end of the week”, warning that if Sir Keir did not resign “we could end up in mass resignation territory”.
Another Government source said Sir Keir was reflecting on his future over the weekend, adding that “the sorts of people” who were now telling him that his time was up were “different – they are not the usual suspects”.
A former loyal MP who was publicly backing the Prime Minister as recently as last month said that he believed Sir Keir was “a goner”, adding: “Andy can do it without a contest, he’s got a good story, and is better for building a broad coalition come a General Election.”
One ally told the Sun newspaper: “I think there is just a 25% chance he fights on now.”
Burnham was said to have the support of close to 300 MPs, with his allies saying the scale of his support meant a coronation would be “inevitable”.
The Prime Minister is being urged by Cabinet Ministers and MPs, many of whom were previously staunch loyalists, to set out a timetable for his departure, rather than fight a leadership contest.
Five senior Cabinet Ministers have privately urged Sir Keir to set out a timetable: Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, did so on Friday, while Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, delivered a similar message. Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, and the Prime Minister’s old friend Ed Miliband have previously told him to go.
Worth reading in full.
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Massive resignation territory, hmm, they could’ve got rid of Starmer ages ago, but didnt, resign no they wont, their snouts are too firmly stuck in the trough, wait until it all comes out about “burn the evidence” Burnham.
The position of leader of the Labour Party is decided by the members of the Labour Party. Two Tier should say that he will stay on until there is a challenge to make them put up or shut up. It could be his choice to withdraw from any contest unless he is just up against one. The members can then make their choice.
If Burnham gets in à la Brown with Bliar, then democracy is dead.
what this lot don’t understand, just like the conservatives before them is its not the leader, its the policies!
The British don’t particularly like or have time for rigid ideologies and it will always end in tears.
what they want is just sensible management of the country’s resources including its population but in the background, so people can get on with their lives without interference.
why is that so difficult for politicians to understand?
I wish enough of the British did want that, but too many have their noses in the trough and many of the rest are mad or evil.
But a team of wild horses is on standby just in case.
Shore up his “legacy”? He would be better off trying to erase all trace of it.
https://www.freespeechbacklash.com/article/great-british-power-drain
We are giving France billions a year to subsidise their electricity prices. Another piece of treachery from Kneel. No doubt Burn’em will sort this 😀
The government say that renewable energy is making us independent. Surely they are not lying to me?
I swear he said he was going to stay in and fight. He’s usually so reliable when he gives his word on something.
Yep, he said it on Friday. Two days ago. It was on the BBC news.
Even if Starmer goes quickly he still has time for a couple of U-Turns and a Relaunch…
If Burnham is pushed in as PM then Mayor Khan in London can follow the same route and he would be popular with the tinted folk who supply many of the votes. I hate the Labour Party but be careful what you wish for.
Yeah, I had that same
thoughtnightmare regarding Khan.Who is expecting him to U-turn on this before lunch tomorrow.?
It could finally be goodbye to a suit full of shit. Sadly it’ll be hello to pretty much the same shit in a different suit.
I fear that against Burnham, Starmer will look like a competent, thoughtful, and resolute politician.
When Burnham reshuffles the cabinet full of turds we’ll find out which ones are the floaters that rise to the top and which ones are the massive turds at the bottom of the bowl that won’t flush away.
Sorry for all the crap analogies, maybe I’m being unfair on Burnham dumping on him before he’s started the jobby.
No, not really. He is a useless Far Left twat and likely to be worse than Two Tier. Watch the cost of our debt rise if he does resign or set out a timetable.
Goodbye *anker, Hello Plonker.
Same shit in a 1980’s Everton shirt with a sponsor I have never worked out what they do, or given the decades that have past, did.
He’ll resign but find a way of staying on. Some process, some law, which allows it.
“It is my duty, as the most honourable and principled prime minister the country has ever seen, to support an orderly transition,” said Keir, in his typical nasally tones.
If Starmer is smart, he hangs on and forces Burnham to fight for the job and try and expose his policies and friendship groups.
The backbenchers and present Cabinet members will not wish to jeopardise another 3 years at the trough with the risk of calling a general election.
He does have a trump card, he could advise the King to dissolve Parliament. That would ensure Labour had a leadership contest whilst campaigning in a GE.
He’s just the vindictive, spiteful sort to do “scorched earth”: if he can’t have the job, he’ll make sure nobody else can.
He could reasonably say that they campaigned on a manifesto to stop this shuffling of leaders and therefore the people need to decide. All this does support the case that Dr North makes for the office of PM being an elected one but not Head of State as well.
I’d love him to do that, why would anyone want a Gov thats not even loyal to itself, much as I loathe him, I hope he does it.
Good idea!