Sir Keir Starmer issued a Father’s Day message on Sunday – his first words to the public since more than 100 Labour MPs called for his resignation – as Downing Street denied reports that he would set out a timetable for stepping down on Monday.
“Being a dad is my greatest joy,” the prime minister wrote on social media, alongside a picture of himself with his late father. “Today, I’m thinking about my dad, and the father I am to my children because of him. Happy Father’s Day.”
“Starmer faces resignation pressure after Burnham by-election win; No 10 denies Monday announcement plan.”
The message came after a weekend of intense speculation triggered by Andy Burnham’s decisive victory in the Makerfield by-election. The Observer reported that Starmer could announce his departure as early as Monday, with senior Labour figures saying he had concluded he could not continue as leader. He is said to have spent the weekend at Chequers with his wife Victoria, discussing his future with family before making a final decision.
But a No 10 source insisted Starmer’s position had not changed since Friday, when he told reporters in north London: “If there is a contest, just to be clear with you, then yes, I will run, I will stand and I’ve said repeatedly I’m not going to walk away from that.”
Business Secretary Peter Kyle, a senior ally, told broadcasters on Sunday he had not spoken to the prime minister since Friday but had had a “frank conversation” with him then. Asked about the resignation reports on Sky News, Kyle said: “I have nothing to believe that they are true. I’m seeing a lot of speculation.” On the BBC, he added: “[Starmer] is taking the time to think through what the political realities are today.”
US President Donald Trump intervened on Truth Social, claiming Starmer “will resign” after “failing badly on immigration and energy”, and urging Britain to “OPEN NORTH SEA OIL”. The intervention was unwelcome for a prime minister already facing mounting pressure from his own party.
Behind the scenes, Starmer’s allies have been warning that removing him would “plunge our party and our country into chaos” – a phrase the prime minister himself used in a lunchtime call with Labour staff, without naming Burnham. At the same time, the New Statesman reported that Team Burnham is hoping Starmer will “come to his senses” over the weekend, avoiding the need for mass resignations or a formal contest.
ITV’s Robert Peston reported that the prime minister might choose to stay until shortly before Labour’s conference on 27 September, giving Burnham time to prepare. Yet the i Paper’s Ian Birrell noted that Britain would then have its sixth leader in a decade, a “chaotic basket case” that benefits populist forces.
Starmer has a “hard deadline” of Tuesday morning’s cabinet meeting to step down, according to insiders cited by The Independent. Home Office minister Mike Tapp has called for a law change to prevent a “constant churn” of prime ministers, asking: “Is it time to legislate; if a change of leader is forced by its own Party then a General Election must be called?”