Keir Starmer could resign in less than 24 hours. According to The Observerthe British Prime Minister fully leaves office this Monday, coming to the conclusion that his mandate has come to an end, after a majority of Labor MPs expressed their support as successor to Andy Burnham, former mayor of Manchester.
Starmer, who this weekend remains at his country residence in Checkers (on the outskirts of London), evaluates his position after Burnham entered Parliament as an MP after winning the Makerfield by-election (in the northwest of England) on Thursday, a necessary step for an eventual challenge to the prime minister’s leadership.
According to information from The Observer, which is echoed by other media, Starmer is preparing to establish a timetable for his departure from the Government, considering that his position is already unsustainable after the conversations he has had in recent days with ministers, union leaders, deputies and donors of his training.
The prime minister’s authority was damaged as a result of the electoral setback suffered by Labor in the English local and regional elections in Scotland and Wales on May 6.
Burnham’s entry into Parliament places the Prime Minister and Labor leader in a difficult situation, as the former mayor has indicated that he intends to challenge Starmer’s leadership and force an internal contest to replace him.
According to the Sunday, a Labor member of the House of Lords, close to the prime minister, whose identity is not mentioned, insisted that Starmer would not “abandon” the Government creating a vacuum, but would “organize a slow and orderly exit, out of duty and dignity.”
“I think he understands the reality. Staying is no longer possible to stop the ‘chaos’ (in Labour), so there is only one option left. I think he has come to see it as the right option to serve the country and the party,” he added.
“This is no longer viable”
Another senior Labor official stated that the prime minister now seemed “resigned” to resign, says the Observer, which is the Sunday newspaper of The Guardian and whose information has been widely echoed in the rest of the British media.
“He has faced the harsh reality that he does not have the necessary support. The truth is that everyone knows that this is no longer viable. There is sadness in all of this, of course,” he added.
Burnham, who against all odds defeated the right-wing populist Reform UK party in Makerfield by a large majority, will be sworn in as an MP tomorrow and is due to meet Starmer.
If the prime minister does not resign or set a timetable for his departure, Burnham is expected to challenge him for leadership this week, for which he needs the support of at least 81 MPs – 20% of the parliamentary group – but his supporters claim that he already has the support of more than 201.
That figure of 201 is crucial because it is half of the parliamentary Labor group and means that Starmer can no longer assure King Charles III, head of the British State, that he has the “confidence” (support) of the House of Commons to govern.
The Observer notes that a senior Labor Party figure said: “There is no doubt that Andy has been greatly strengthened by Thursday night’s result. The question MPs are asking is: who can stop a Reform UK government? He has shown at Makerfield that he can do so decisively.”
In the May elections, Reform UK was the most voted party and remains first in polls on voting intentions
