Starmer latest: PM expected to announce departure on Monday ahead of Burnham’s arrival in Westminster

Makerfield by-election as it happened: Burnham's landslide win opens door to Labour leadership contestSir Keir Starmer is increasingly expected to announce that he will set out a timetable for his departure on Monday as pressure builds for him to resign. Sir Keir is said to be spending the weekend discussing the matter with his family and considering his future at Chequers before making a final decision. But he has reportedly reached the conclusion that he cannot continue as Labour leader.

He issued a Father’s Day message on Sunday in his first words to the public since over 100 MPs called for his resignation. “Being a dad is my greatest joy,” he wrote in a post on social media along with 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.”Sir Keir faces a “hard deadline” of Tuesday morning’s cabinet meeting to step down, insiders told The Independent’s David Maddox. RecommendedAndy Burnham wins Makerfield by-election landslide to pave way for challenge to Keir StarmerAndy Burnham: The ‘King of the North’ who could be the next prime ministerAndy Burnham has said he wants to be the next Labour leader – here’s what that could mean for BritainWho are Andy Burnham’s key allies in Westminster?

Former PM Rishi Sunak warns Burnham he must have 'clear plan' of action within hours of arriving in No 10Former prime minister Rishi Sunak has warned Andy Burnham that he could see his support drain away if he takes the highest office. Writing in a column for The Times, the former Tory leader warned that all leaders across Europe are facing pressure to deliver faster than ever. He said: “Political capital depreciates more quickly than ever before.

That Starmer and Merz are both facing such leadership speculation less than two years after winning elections is an illustration of that. “Burnham must recognise that if he reaches No 10, he’ll never have more power than on his first day in the job. It is vital he has a clear and achievable plan for what he wants to do in those opening hours.”

Former prime minister Rishi Sunak (PA Archive)Holly Bancroft21 June 2026 20:03Analysis: Labour MPs invite to photocall with Burnham feels like a coronationIt is fair to say that when Labour wins a by-election there is usually a photo call invite to Labour MPs when the winner arrives in parliament, writes Political Editor David Maddox. But this one has been received differently. An invitation for the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) office has gone out for a photo call with Andy Burnham at 3pm in Westminster Hall on Monday.

With an expectation that prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is working up a deal to hand over the leadership of the party and his job as PM over to Mr Burnham the invitation is already being described as "a coronation."Normally most MPs do not make it to these photo calls but this one is expected to have almost everyone present. The 3pm timing is conveniently after the morning time that the prime minister is expected to make his fateful announcement at the podium in Downing Street that he is to relinquish power.

The only issue now maybe is if enough MPs back an alternative candidate to run against Mr Burnham in a contest. Otherwise the photo call may as well be a coronation.(Independent )David Maddox21 June 2026 19:32Waiting till September for Starmer to resign will mean 'Burnham premiership will be defined by Starmer's decisions'Concerns are growing around suggestions that Sir Keir Starmer could wait until September to step down, despite reports that the prime minister could announce a timetable as early as Monday.

One minister has told The Times that Andy Burnham’s premiership could be “defined by Starmer’s decisions” if the handover does not happen until the autumn. There are Nato and EU summits next month, where key decisions on defence spending, will need to be made, The Times’s Aubrey Allegretti writes. One MP said: “A summer of waiting is stupid and incredibly self-indulgent”.

Starmer is reportedly mulling whether to step down as PM (Reuters)Holly Bancroft21 June 2026 19:07PM 'hasn't yet made decision to quit' - reportsSir Keir Starmer has “genuinely not made a decision to quit” yet, according to ITV’s Political Editor Robert Peston. He has spoken to a cabinet minister today who says that the prime minister hasn’t made a decision either way. Writing in a post on X, Robert Peston said: “The minister says that if Keir Starmer’s wife Vic were to encourage him to fight on, he might just do that - though the minister assumes there is a low probability of such an outcome.

“All this says to me that my Friday judgement still holds, that the uncertainty could drag on to Tuesday, though presumably not longer.”Holly Bancroft21 June 2026 18:27Reform refuses to appear on Sunday shows after Makerfield loss as Farage ally admits party has ‘a woman problem’Reform UK’s crushing defeat in Makerfield has led to recriminations behind the scenes, w