British Business Minister Peter Kyle said on Sunday that Keir Starmer was considering “political realities” after potential prime ministerial rival Andy Burnham won a by-election and a seat in the House of Commons in Thursday’s election.
Sitting in Parliament would theoretically allow Burnham to become Prime Minister or trigger a hostile contest for the leadership of the Labor Party and by extension the top political post in Britain.
Starmer is facing increasing pressure as his and Labor’s popularity has declined since a 2024 election victory, particularly after Labour’s poor showing in local and regional elections last month.
What did Kyle say about Starmer in his Sunday media round?
Kyle told both Sky and the BBC in separate interviews on Sunday that he had no reason to believe that Starmer was planning to announce his resignation on Monday – as the left-leaning weekly newspaper reviewer Had reported.
“Today, as I know Keir any other day, he’s out there working hard,” Kyle told Sky News. “At the same time, he’s also trying to create a space where he can think and reflect on the political realities and challenges – and opportunities – that we face.”
He did not repeat the line that came out of Downing Street last weekend that Starmer would fight off any leadership challenge, should one arise.
In a later BBC interview, the minister acknowledged that at least some forces within his party were maneuvering against Starmer.
“I don’t want to come here and be under the illusion that there is no process, there are no forces at work challenging the prime minister as a leader. That’s clearly the case,” he said.
Why has the focus on Starmer’s position increased again now?
Labour’s Andy Burnham won Thursday’s Makerfield by-election by a fairly comfortable margin – and delivered a rare piece of good news for the party in recent months – reviving speculation that was rampant in the immediate aftermath of May’s election defeats in Scotland, Wales and English local councils.
Kyle faced pointed questions on TV on Sunday over a left-leaning report observer The newspaper, published late on Saturday night, claimed that the Prime Minister was considering his future and could make an announcement as soon as Monday.
The newspaper reported, without naming the sources, said to be senior Labor figures, that Starmer had been discussing his future with his wife at his official Checkers country residence during the weekend before the decision was made.
Who is Andy Burnham and what are his intentions?
Burham is not the only potential challenger to Starmer, but many see the 56-year-old former mayor of Manchester as the least divisive potential candidate who would also have a realistic chance of unseating him.
Former health minister Wes Streeting stepped down and appeared to be attempting a coup last month, but has struggled to muster support or project any meaningful public profile.
Party deputy leader Angela Rayner is popular among the party’s base and perhaps better known, but she is troubled by recent scandals involving wealth taxes, is seen by some as too left-leaning for the top job, and has never gone so far as to completely break with Starmer’s leadership.
Meanwhile, Burnham herself has not rejected her prime ministerial ambitions, but has also made no overt steps towards launching a leadership challenge herself.
Based on on- and off-the-record comments from his aides, he is trying to encourage Starmer to resign of his own free will and begin a leadership transition without the potential intra-party bloodshed that would come with a hostile leadership contest.
Burnham’s victory speech in Makerfield, northern England, a constituency that is generally one of the safest constituencies in the entire country for Labour, certainly included lines directed at Starmer.
“Everyone knows politics is not working,” he said. He said, “Everyone can feel that the country is not where it should be. Tonight could be the turning point.”
Charlie Falconer, a senior Labor member of the House of Lords, told the BBC on Saturday that in his view there should be “an agreed transition process in which Andy and Keir cooperate on when the handover should happen.”
Edited by: Louis Olofse
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