politics
Andy Burnham Wins Makerfield By-Election; Labour MPs Call for Starmer to Resign or Set Departure Timetable
Labour secured the Makerfield seat on Friday. More than 100 party MPs then urged Keir Starmer to step down or set a departure timetable.
The IndependentAudio version
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Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election for Labour on Friday. More than 100 Labour MPs responded by calling for Keir Starmer to resign or set a timetable for departure. Starmer spent the weekend at Chequers discussing his position with family and reached the conclusion that he cannot continue as Labour leader.
He is expected to announce a timetable for his departure on Monday and faces a hard deadline of Tuesday morning’s cabinet meeting. Starmer issued a Father’s Day message on Sunday that included a photograph of himself with his late father. “Being a dad is my greatest joy,” he wrote.
An invitation was sent for a 3 pm photo call with Andy Burnham in Westminster Hall on Monday. The timing follows the morning when the prime minister is expected to announce he will relinquish power. Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday that Keir Starmer will resign as prime minister.
Trump also accused Starmer of failing badly on immigration and energy policy. Rishi Sunak wrote a column for The Times stating that Burnham must recognise that if he reaches No 10, he’ll never have more power than on his first day in the job. Reform UK declined invitations to appear on Sunday morning politics shows following the Makerfield result.
Gawain Towler stated Reform UK has a woman problem after the Makerfield defeat, which came with a candidate criticised for crude social-media remarks about women. Josh Fenton-Glynn stated that removing a prime minister without a general election is the norm not the exception. Mike Tapp proposed a new law requiring a general election if a party forces out its leader.
Mike Tapp also retweeted a post claiming Starmer feels betrayed by over 100 MPs calling for his resignation. Peter Kyle told Sky News on Sunday that he had not spoken to the prime minister since Friday. The UK would move to its seventh prime minister in a decade if Starmer is replaced.
Nato and EU summits are scheduled for next month.
