Donald Trump has issued what he called a “final parting shot” to Sir Keir Starmer, predicting the Prime Minister will resign. In a post on his Truth Social site, Trump accused Starmer of failing on “IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!)” and wrote: “Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom. … I wish him well! President DJT.”
The US president’s intervention came as the mood in government shifted decisively against Starmer. Several government insiders now believe the prime minister could announce a timetable to quit as soon as Monday, according to the BBC’s Henry Zeffman and Nick Eardley. Business Secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC that Starmer would do “what is in the best interests of the country” and was reflecting on the “political challenges he faces today”.
“Donald Trump says Keir Starmer 'will' resign as cabinet ministers urge him to quit after Andy Burnham's by-election victory.”
The trigger for the collapse in support was Andy Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election on Friday. Burnham beat Reform comfortably, demonstrating to Labour MPs that he could take the fight to Nigel Farage’s party in a way Starmer could not. “The herd isn’t just moving, it’s stampeding,” Harriet Harman told Sky News. “Andy Burnham will become prime minister.”
Dozens of MPs had already called for Starmer to quit. That list grew after Thursday’s result, with senior cabinet ministers adding their voices privately. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander are among those believed to have told the prime minister to go. The fact that they remain in their jobs “speaks volumes about how Starmer’s authority has collapsed”, the BBC reported.
Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, has been described by backers as “an instinctive guy” who is “known just as Andy everywhere he goes”. He served as health secretary, culture secretary and a Treasury minister under previous Labour governments. One source said he has “a capacity to make people feel good” – something Westminster Labour has “forgotten what that’s like”.
Starmer spent the weekend at Chequers with his wife, insisting privately that he could beat Burnham in a leadership contest. A government insider said: “On Saturday he phoned his closest allies and said, ‘I’m sure I could win’.” But the widespread assumption this weekend is that his exit is inevitable. If he resigns on Monday, Britain will have its seventh prime minister in 10 years.
The next question is whether there will be any contest at all. Wes Streeting, the former health secretary, had said he would stand, but his allies now suggest “conversations between candidates” about the future. The former Tory prime minister Rishi Sunak warned Burnham not to become leader “by default”, writing in the Sunday Times that a contest would give him greater mandate and authority. Starmer, for now, has posted a Father’s Day message on X: “Being a dad is my greatest joy.”