Embattled British Prime Minister Keir Starmer could set out plans to step down as soon as Monday (Jun 22), UK media has reported, the same day his likely successor is expected to be sworn in as an MP.
Veteran Labour politician Andy Burnham is due to take up his seat in the House of Commons, three days after clinching victory in a crunch by-election and clearing the path for an anticipated leadership challenge.Under Labour’s rules, the leader of the centre-left party must be a member of parliament.
If Starmer does leave office this year, Britain will get its seventh prime minister in a decade – an unprecedented rate of churn in its modern history.The 63-year-old ex-lawyer has insisted he would fight any attempt to oust him, but the emphatic nature of Burnham’s victory in last week’s northwest Makerfield constituency vote appears to have prompted a weekend re-think.
The beleaguered leader “is expected to announce on Monday that he will step down as prime minister after overwhelming pressure from Labour MPs to make way for Andy Burnham”, The Guardian said.
The BBC said “signs are growing” that Starmer could set out a plan to resign on Monday, with the Sun on Sunday tabloid, the Sunday Times and the Sunday Telegraph all carrying similar reports. The Telegraph claimed the prime minister’s thoughts were turning to shoring up his “legacy”
