Labour sources say Prime Minister Keir Starmer has concluded that his position is no longer stable after a string of difficult talks in recent days with cabinet ministers, senior advisers, trade union leaders and major donors. Over the weekend, he is staying at Chequers, the British prime minister’s country residence, where he has been discussing his political future at length with his wife, Victoria, who is described as his closest and most influential adviser, before making a final decision.
According to The Observer, senior Labour figures believe a public and clear announcement of his resignation could come as soon as Monday. The party’s chief whip, Jonathan Reynolds, has also told the prime minister there is growing demand among backbench MPs for an orderly transfer of power.
One MP who until recently was considered a staunch Starmer loyalist said his political support now has shrunk to “friends and family” and that trying to block Burnham’s entry into the role would be like “trying to fight gravity.” In another report, the BBC quoted a government source saying it would be “madness” to think Starmer can win, and that he should not “humiliate himself” in a battle that is already lost.
A close friend of the prime minister told The Observer that Starmer understands the new reality and is planning a “slow and orderly retreat, out of a sense of duty and respect for the country,” in order to avoid governmental chaos. While officials at 10 Downing Street continue to insist publicly that he intends to stay on, a source close to him told The Sun there is only a 25 percent chance he will choose to fight on. The central question now is not whether Starmer will go, but how he will end his tenure while trying to preserve his political legacy.
