Andy Burnham wins and cabinet loyalists tell Starmer his departure is 'inevitable' — fight on or step aside?
Andy Burnham won the Makerfield byelection with a compelling majority, setting up a direct challenge to Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership and the premiership. Within hours, cabinet ministers — including some who had previously been loyal to Starmer — told him he faces being forced out if he does not set a timetable for departure by the end of the weekend. One described his exit as 'inevitable'; Labour sources say around 200 MPs are prepared to sign Burnham's nomination papers. Starmer called cabinet ministers to reaffirm his determination to fight on and stay in office.
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Andy Burnham, fresh from his Makerfield byelection victory, is expected to travel to London on Monday to meet MPs in the expectation of becoming prime minister within weeks. Cabinet ministers — including those who had not previously called for Starmer to go — told the Guardian that the PM faces being forced out if he does not set a timetable for his exit by the end of the weekend. One called his departure 'inevitable.' Around 200 Labour MPs are said to be prepared to sign Burnham's nomination papers, with his supporters hoping for a coronation rather than a contested race. Burnham has called for 'a new path for Britain' — positioning himself as a change candidate after years of Starmer's caution.
Keir Starmer called members of his cabinet on Friday afternoon to set out his 'determination to fight on' — signalling he will not stand aside voluntarily. His allies note that he has a democratic mandate from a general election and that no formal leadership challenge has yet been triggered. While the transport secretary Heidi Alexander is reported to have expressed concerns on the call, Starmer's team believes that many Labour MPs who are nervous about the party's direction will ultimately not vote to remove a sitting prime minister without a clearer sense of what Burnham's leadership would look like on policy.
