Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly “ready to fight” Andy Burnham for the Labour leadership, even as Cabinet ministers and more than 100 MPs are said to have told him that his time is up.
A senior No. 10 source told The People’s Channel this afternoon that the Prime Minister has no intention of stepping aside, despite the scale of Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election overnight.
The source said: “His message is clear… a leadership contest would be damaging for both the party and the country. But if it happens, he’s prepared to fight.”
Determined to push back, Sir Keir has repeatedly insisted he will not walk away from Downing Street, despite growing calls for the struggling Prime Minister to resign.
According to The Times, some of his most senior ministers, including Shabana Mahmood and Ed Miliband, have urged him to set out a clear exit plan following the arrival of Labour’s newest MP in Parliament.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has also become the latest senior figure to push for an orderly handover of power.
However, GB News understands the Home Secretary has not spoken with the Prime Minister today.
Questions also remain over her meeting with Sir Keir last month, when Ms Mahmood was reportedly among those urging the Labour leader to start planning his departure from frontline politics.
