Starmer says he will contest any Labour leadership challenge after Burnham’s Makerfield win

Calls For Starmer To Set Out Timetable For His Departure Grow After Burnham Win

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer walks, as he visits a housing development in north London, Friday, June 19, 2026. Keir Starmer is allegedly facing growing pressure from his own cabinet to set out an “orderly transition” of power to his greatest rival Andy Burnham.Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election in the early hours of Friday has paved the way for the soon-to-be-former Greater Manchester mayor to challenge the prime minister.The new MP comfortably saw off the electoral threat from Reform UK and secured a majority of 9,000 votes, fuelling hope that he could revive Labour’s poor performance in the polls if he got into No.10.Asked if he would stand in any possible leadership election on Friday morning after Burnham’s victory, Starmer insisted “there isn’t one at the moment” and that holding one would send “the country into chaos”.But he added: “If there is a contest, then yes I will run, I will stand, and I’ve said repeatedly I’m not going to walk away from that.”Pressure from his own cabinet ministers continues to grow, however, according to reports.The Times, The Independent and The Guardian report that several frontbenchers have joined home secretary Shabana Mahmood and energy secretary Ed Miliband in calling on Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure.The newspapers say that multiple cabinet members will tell Starmer his “time is up” and encourage him to set out a timetable for an “orderly transition” of power.Approximately 100 Labour MPs have publicly urged Starmer to step down in the six weeks since the party’s horrific performance in the May elections in England, Scotland and Wales.Two Labour grandees, David Blunkett and Harriet Harman, have also called for the PM to set out a timetable preparing for new leadership.Leader of the National Education Union, Daniel Kebede, also told Times Radio he wants Labour to “crack on” with a “quick transition” of power. He added:  “Andy becoming the leader of the Labour party is an inevitability from this point.”Burnham’s allies are hoping the newly minted MP could avoid having to trigger a contest himself if Starmer goes of his own accord, removing the need for a potentially fractious leadership race.But, if the prime minister refuses to step aside, he will automatically be put on the ballot of a leadership race.Labour Party rules state only an MP with the support of 81 other MPs can fire the starting gun on a leadership challenge.The incumbent leader does not need any nominations to stand again.Burnham is said to have the numbers to fire the starting gun on a challenge.Nearly half (44%) of all voters think Burnham should now challenge Starmer for the leadership role, according to snap polling from YouGov.But voters were divided on whether the PM should fight for his job, with 36% saying he should stand in any contest while 38% think he should step aside.Downing Street refused to comment on private conversations when approached by HuffPost UK.Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.Related...Starmer Insists He 'Will Stand' In Any Labour Leadership ContestAndy Burnham Will Turn Down Any Job Offer From Keir StarmerAndy Burnham Is An MP Again. What Happens Now?

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Why Even Keir Starmer's Allies Believe His Days In No.10 Are Numbered

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks with local residents as he visits a housing development in north London, Friday, June 19, 2026.Even Keir Starmer’s enemies concede that he is a decent man.So when he says that he won’t voluntarily walk away from 10 Downing Street and will stand in any Labour leadership contest if one is triggered, we should believe him.His closest supporters insist that, as things stand, he does intend to fight to hang on to a job he’s had for less than two years.But they also admit privately that the chances of him being able to do so are essentially zero.The sheer scale of Andy Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election means it is now inevitable that he will succeed Starmer in No.10, one way or another.He nearly doubled Labour’s majority, and won more than 50% of the vote, in a seat where every council ward was won by Reform UK barely a month ago.Even Labour MPs who are sceptical about Burnham’s abilities – and there remain many of them – admit that he is the best chance they have of saving their seats at the next general election.In a call with Labour staff on Friday, Starmer said the party needed to “pull together” and “take the fight” to Reform in the Greater Manchester mayoralty by-election which will take place on July 30 as a result of Burnham’s return to Westminster.“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,” he said.“That has never worked. That’s what the last government did. We need to learn that lesson.”The prime minister’s biggest problem, however, is that while his MPs do indeed want to “pull together”, the vast majority of them now want to do so behind Andy Burnham.Louise Haigh, one of Burnham’s key lieutenants, said the PM and his would-be successor need to now get their heads together “and agree a managed way forward”.“Just six weeks ago, the Labour Party was facing existential crisis after the local elections, and it’s quite clear that the prime minister can’t take us into another set of elections,” she told the BBC.“So I hope he reflects on the result last night in the interests of the country and of the party.“We want this to be as managed and controlled as possible ... we want to avoid a leadership contest if possible, and we hope that we can agree a way forward.”Despite insisting earlier this week that he has enough support to stand in a leadership contest, HuffPost UK has been told that Wes Streeting is preparing to instead throw his weight behind Burnham.The pair are said to have agreed a deal which would see the former health secretary given a top job in a Burnham cabinet.Neither side are commenting publicly, but it is thought an announcement could come early next week.Meanwhile, home secretary Shabana Mahmood and energy secretary Ed Miliband – who urged Starmer to go after Labour’s trouncing in the May 7 elections – are understood to have repeated that message to him on Friday.A senior Labour figure said he believed an agreement for a transition of power from Starmer to Burnham will happen.“I think they’ll get a deal,” he said. “It’s in both their interests and the country’s.“There’ll be some fucking around next week but Keir will be gone by mid September latest.”Labour party's Andy Burnham stands beside candidate Count Binface, left, and a candidate for Protect British Wildlife after winning the Makerfield by-election, paving the way for a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. in Wigan, England, Friday, June 19, 2026.One Starmer ally told HuffPost UK that the PM will eventually have to bow to the inevitable.He said: “It comes down to what support there is in the Parliamentary Labour Party. I can’t imagine he’ll want to fight if he can only command a limited number of MPs.“I would imagine there will be plenty of MPs not keen on Andy who will now be thinking ‘is there any point in resisting’, in much the same way as the Tories rowed in behind Boris Johnson before he became leader.“I wouldn’t read too much into what Keir said this morning. Over the weekend he will be speaking to plenty of people and trying to work out where the support is, and if it just isn’t there, I don’t think he’ll stand in a contest he is bound to lose.”Another supporter of the PM said: “I really want Keir to fight, but I think Andy becoming prime minister is inevitable.“I’ve a feeling that he will end up announcing a timetable for his departure.”Some around Burnham want the PM to announce that he will go in September, in time for their man to take over ahead of the Labour Party conference later that month.A senior Labour source said Starmer will “do what he always does – try every wrong position before he gets to the obvious one”.Another party insider added: “Imagine a sitting prime minister being forced out by his own members. Is that the plan? They need to wake up and have a good smell of the coffee beans.”But one anti-Burnham MP accused him of “arrogance” for believing he can return to Westminster after nearly a decade away and become prime minister without even a leadership contest.“If I was advising Andy, I’d be telling him to take his time and at least get to know the Labour MPs first,” he said.“That would also allow him to flesh out his policy platform, because my worry is that he becomes PM and then he starts U-turning and making bad decisions because he has not been tested in advance.”Andy Burnham is going to be Britain’s next prime minister. The only remaining question is when that might happen.As Starmer sits down with his closest allies over the next 48 hours, the realisation will surely dawn that it is better for him to leave Downing Street on his own terms rather than being dragged out of the door kicking and screaming.Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.Related...Andy Burnham Is An MP Again. What Happens Now?Andy Burnham Wins Makerfield By-Election And Is Set To Become Prime MinisterAndy Burnham Will Turn Down Any Job Offer From Keir Starmer

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Starmer Insists He 'Will Stand' In Any Labour Leadership Contest

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to the members of the media on the sidelines of the G7 summit, in Thonon-les-Bains, France, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. Keir Starmer has insisted he “will stand” in any Labour leadership contest triggered in the wake of the Makerfield by-election.The prime minister’s future is looking more precarious than ever after his rival Andy Burnham was elected as an MP by a thumping majority of more than 9,000 overnight.The soon-to-be-former Greater Manchester mayor is expected to challenge Starmer once he’s formally sworn into the House of Commons next week.Asked if he would stand in any possible leadership election, Starmer said “there isn’t one at the moment” and that holding one would send “the country into chaos”.But he added: “If there is a contest, then yes I will run, I will stand, and I’ve said repeatedly I’m not going to walk away from that.”His remarks will dash hopes among mutinous Labour MPs that the prime minister would set out a timetable for his departure from office in the wake of Burnham’s win.His words could also encourage disillusioned cabinet ministers to resign and force Starmer’s hand, as he cannot govern effectively without their support.The PM told reporters he has not yet spoken to Burnham directly, but that he intends to.He welcomed Labour’s “very good victory” after his rival secured 55% of the vote in the constituency.Starmer also claimed that the by-election was a “real battle of Labour values against divisive Reform values”.The by-election was triggered last month by ex-Labour MP Josh Simons who stepped aside after the party’s disastrous results in the local elections to give Burnham a route back to Westminster.Party rules state a Labour leader can only be challenged by an MP who has the support of at least 81 fellow Labour MPs – 20% of the parliamentary Labour party – in the Commons.If a contest is triggered, the party leader’s name is automatically put on the ballot.Labour Party and affiliate members then vote via a postal ballot and candidates are ranked in order of preference.The winner needs to secure at least 50% of the vote.Burnham’s ambitions for No.10 have been widely known for some time, and he is thought to already have the backing needed to contest Starmer.He ran on a promise to introduce change for the country in the by-election, asking Makerfield voters to “vote Andy” rather than “vote Labour”.In his victory speech, Burnham said he wants to “lay out a new path for Britain”, saying Labour has to do something to “make life affordable” again.YouGov polls of Labour members suggest Burnham would comfortably beat Starmer in a contest.Many were hoping the prime minister would quietly resign so that Burnham could get the keys to No.10 without causing further division in the party.Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.Related...'He Should Be Ashamed': Lammy Tears Tory MP Apart For Joking About Arson Attacks Targeting StarmerAndy Burnham Will Turn Down Any Job Offer From Keir StarmerKeir Starmer Hints At Top Cabinet Job For Andy Burnham If He Wins By-Election

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