Talk of Starmer staying on to fight is fading - fast
Talk of Starmer staying on to fight is fading - fast11 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleLaura KuenssbergSunday with Laura KuenssbergBBC"We promised people we weren't going to do this."There is...
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Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Talk of Starmer staying on to fight is fading - fast11 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleLaura KuenssbergSunday with Laura KuenssbergBBC"We promised people we weren't going to do this. "There is exasperation in the voice of a long time Labour adviser. But as every hour passes, it is more likely the UK will soon have its seventh prime minister in 10 years.
Talk of Sir Keir Starmer fighting is fading, his exit seems more likely as the weekend goes on. The prime minister is at his country retreat, Chequers, spending time with his wife. The man coming for his job, Andy Burnham, is spending the weekend with his family, away from home too.
The Details
The reasons for Labour to switch leader are compelling. Andy Burnham looks like a winner. He has shown he can beat Reform, who until this moment have seemed a deadly threat to Labour.
He is popular in the country, compared to most politicians at least. There are swathes of MPs eager to back him and his brand, believing he's the one who can improve the party's grim position. "He's an instinctive guy – that's his great talent," said one source.
ReutersHe's been successful and highly visible as the Mayor of Greater Manchester, known just as Andy everywhere he goes, one of his backers tells me. He's no stranger to government either, having served as health secretary, culture secretary, and as a Treasury minister years ago. And most of all, Burnham's shown in the Makerfield by-election campaign he has that valuable talent in politics – a capacity to make people feel good.
What Experts Say
Labour in Westminster has forgotten what that's like. There have been more than a dozen big U-turns. The mess over Lord Mandelson's job.
And after dreadful election results in 2025 and 2026, wipe-out in Wales. Starmer has seemed like a loser to many in his own party. It is not even two years since his massive win at the general election.
But the political perception that he has an appeal to voters? Brutally, that's long gone. ReutersOn Friday, the prime minister was still arguing to the cameras that he would fight if Burnham challenges him, refusing to acknowledge that is not an "if", it's a "when".
The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.
