Is the United Kingdom headed for a political earthquake? British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to resign and present a timetable for his departure as early as Monday, the British newspaper “The Observer” reported Saturday night. According to the report, Starmer has concluded that continuing in office is “no longer sustainable” after holding talks with government ministers, advisers, donors and trade union leaders.
The newspaper further claimed that Starmer discussed the possibility of stepping down with his wife at Chequers, the official country residence of the British prime minister. Senior Labour Party officials assessed that a clear statement on his political future could be issued as early as Sunday.
However, a government source was quoted as saying that Starmer continues to carry out his work as usual, and referred to his previous remarks in which he said he had no intention of leaving. Just Friday, the prime minister said he would fight any attempt to oust him and called on the Labour Party not to tear itself apart in internal battles.
Starmer, 63, was born in London and grew up in a middle-class family. He studied law and built a career as a prosecutor and human rights lawyer. From 2008 to 2013, he served as director of public prosecutions for England and Wales and was knighted for his contribution to the justice system. In 2015, he was first elected to Parliament as a Labour lawmaker, and after the party’s defeat in the 2019 election, he was chosen to lead it in place of Jeremy Corbyn.
Starmer led a course aimed at returning the party to the political center, distancing it from some of the radical positions that had characterized it in the past and placing emphasis on economic stability, security and the rehabilitation of public services. In the 2024 election, he led Labour to a sweeping victory and returned it to power after 14 years in opposition. Over the past two years, however, he has lost a significant share of public support following a series of crises, policy reversals and criticism that he failed to deliver improvements in living standards.
3 View gallery
'A new path': Burnham celebrates victory after the vote count
( Photo: Tamilda Adlaya/ Reuters)
One of the factors that damaged Starmer was his admission in February that he had decided to appoint former minister Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the United States even though information about Mandelson’s close ties to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein had been brought to his attention and to that of his advisers during the vetting process in which Mandelson’s candidacy was examined.
The threat to Starmer’s position, which has grown in recent months, intensified Friday after his political rival Andy Burnham won a seat in Parliament, a move that could allow him to formally run for the party leadership. Burnham, 56, is considered one of the most prominent figures in Labour in recent years and has built a power base as mayor of Greater Manchester. He is widely seen as Starmer’s most likely successor, whether through an agreed transfer of power or a formal contest for the party leadership.
Polls in Britain indicate that Burnham is the most popular candidate among the possible contenders for the Labour leadership. Although he has not yet formally announced that he intends to challenge Starmer for the leadership, the prevailing assessment is that this is his goal. He took the first step toward that future battle when one of his Labour allies resigned from Parliament for him last month, creating the need for the special election that Burnham has now won. Membership in Parliament is a threshold requirement for running for the Labour leadership.
3 View gallery
Protesters against British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrive at the scene of the London attack against Jews
(Photo: Stefan Rousseau/Pool via Reuters)
Reuters reported that more than 100 Labour members of Parliament, about a quarter of the party’s representatives in the House of Commons, have publicly expressed a desire for Starmer to resign or at least set a date for his departure.
Burnham himself has not yet declared an official candidacy, but in his mayoral victory speech he pledged to offer Britain “a new way.” At the same time, The Times reported that people close to him are already discussing possible changes to the composition of the government if he takes office, including the replacement of Chancellor Rachel Reeves, although Reuters noted that it was unable to verify the report.
Another name mentioned as a possible candidate to replace Starmer is former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who said he would be prepared to run for the leadership.