Sir Keir Starmer has told supporters this weekend he will stand in any Labour leadership contest that is triggered, hardening his position after Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said he would seek to enter any potential contest, the BBC understands.
Until now, the prime minister and his allies insisted he would not walk away if one was held but there was a big question mark over what he would actually do. After Burnham’s statement, Starmer’s resolve hardened — telling his supporters he would fight any challenge, despite believing a leadership contest could plunge the country into chaos.
“Starmer tells supporters he will fight any leadership contest after Burnham signals he would run.”
Burnham, regarded as the frontrunner in any future leadership contest, indicated strongly on the BBC’s Question Time programme on Thursday that he would stand for leader. “I think Wes Streeting seems to have launched a leadership contest, so if that is running, I would seek to join it. But I’d have to persuade members of the Parliamentary Labour Party to do the same,” he said.
Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting has confirmed he would enter any potential contest and has encouraged people to back Burnham in the Makerfield by-election, as he wants a “proper contest with the best candidates on the field.”
Much of what happens next depends on the outcome of the Makerfield by-election on 18 June, which Burnham must win to be able to stand in a leadership contest. Polls now indicate the contest is a two-horse race between Burnham and Reform UK, according to Channel 4 News.
Starmer’s closest aides are “war-gaming” how to win a leadership contest ahead of Burnham’s much-anticipated return to Westminster, the Guardian understands. Downing Street sources said the prime minister had taken the last fortnight to think seriously about his future but was now “hellbent” on fighting any contest. His team is working through various scenarios, including sacking ministers who publicly support Burnham.
However, several close allies acknowledged that Starmer’s future may be out of his hands. “Keir may be determined to fight any challenge. But when it comes to it, he might not have a choice. As one former prime minister put it, when the herd moves, it moves,” a loyalist minister said.
Allies of the prime minister argue that Burnham is unprepared for a leadership challenge, as he and his team have been juggling the Makerfield campaign alongside planning for what might follow. One senior aide said: “Maybe it is over. But if so, Keir’s not going without a fight. Our plan is to be more Harry Truman and less Joe Biden.”
Steve Reed, one of the cabinet ministers most loyal to Starmer, said he was convinced the prime minister would fight any leadership contest, and that he should even offer Burnham a job if he wins in Makerfield. “I know how he feels, because we speak to each other, and he is determined to deliver the change that he was elected to deliver,” Reed said.
The prime minister, who still has a massive majority after winning two years ago, said he had a mandate he was determined to deliver. Pressure has been mounting after a historically bad set of election results last month, in which Labour lost control of the Welsh Senedd and nearly 1,500 councillors in England, prompting Streeting and a handful of junior ministers to quit. As the sitting Labour leader, Starmer would automatically be on the ballot that goes to party members — but whether he gets to fight remains to be seen.