Sir Keir Starmer could set out a timetable for his resignation as early as Monday, according to reports, as pressure builds on the prime minister to step down following Andy Burnham’s by-election victory.
The prime minister is spending the weekend considering his future at Chequers before making a final decision but he has reportedly reached the conclusion that he cannot continue as Labour leader.
Senior Labour figures believe a “clear statement” on his department could come as early as Monday, The Observer reported. Allies of Sir Keir have also told The Sunday Telegraph that he has realised the “game is up” and he is now planning how to “shore up his legacy”.
Sir Keir faces a “hard deadline” of Tuesday morning’s cabinet meeting to step down, insiders told The Independent’s David Maddox. As the Labour leader spent the weekend taking soundings from ministers and MPs, Downing Street denied reports on Saturday night that he is preparing to set a timetable for his departure as early as Monday.
A spokesperson pointed to his words of defiance on Friday when he insisted he would fight a challenge.
Read MoreAndy Burnham wins Makerfield by-election landslide to pave way for challenge to Keir Starmer
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Makerfield by-election key points
- Starmer 'ready to resign' as PM, according to reports
- Starmer given deadline: ‘Quit by Tuesday or face humiliation’
- Cabinet to tell Starmer his 'time is up'
- Labour grandee warns against Burnham ‘coronation’
Senior Keir ally says there's 'just a 25% chance he fights on'
03:30 , Holly BancroftA senior ally of Sir Keir Starmer has told The Sun that they believe there is “just a 25 per cent chance he fights on now”.
Sir Keir is facing mounting pressure to set out a timetable to resign, with The Observer reporting this could happen as soon as Monday.
A Labour peer told the paper that they think Sir Keir sees that “stopping ‘chaos’ (as he rightly put it) is now not possible by staying.”
No 10 said Sir Keir’s position remained unchanged from Friday, when he said he will not “walk away” from Downing Street and that he plans to stand in any potential contest.
He warned Labour staffers during a call on Friday lunchtime to avoid “plunging our party and our country into chaos by turning on each other and tearing apart our party and our movement”.
He is understood to have spoken to a number of Cabinet ministers on Friday, some of whom are reported to have told him he should set out a timetable for his departure.
Pro-Burnham ministers 'told not to resign'
02:26 , Holly BancroftMinisters eager to support Andy Burnham’s Labour leadership challenge have been told “not to resign” by his team, but instead to tell Sir Keir Starmer that he needs to set out a timetable to step down.
One Burnham camp insider told The Sunday Times: “Don’t get trigger happy, right? Go and speak to [Starmer] and tell him in no uncertain terms that he needs to set out a timetable.”
They added: “For some, it’ll be the third time they’ve said that to him. So I’m not sure that’s going to work all of a sudden. But there’s going to be more of them than before.”
Ministers that have told Sir Keir he needs to resign include the transport secretary Heidi Alexander, and the chief whip Jonathan Reynolds, according to reports.
Labour loyalists turn on the PM
01:13 , Holly BancroftSir Keir Starmer is considering his position after being told by “not the usual suspects” that he should step down as prime minister, according to a report.
A government source told The Sunday Telegraph that Sir Keir has been reflecting on his future as those pressing on him that he should resign are “different - they are not the usual suspects”.
One Labour MP, who the paper said is usually considered to be a loyalist, said he believed Sir Keir could set a date to leave as soon as Monday.
They said that Sir Keir’s support had wained so much that “there’s no one left”.
One Keir ally told The Sun: “I think there is just a 25 per cent chance he fights on now.”
Rachel Reeves 'out as Chancellor' if Burnham takes over
00:19 , Holly BancroftRachel Reeves would lose her job as Chancellor if Andy Burnham takes over as prime minister, The Sunday Times is reporting.
According to the paper, the Burnham camp have decided that keeping Ms Reeves in position would not “represent a sufficient change in direction”.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband, Wes Streeting, work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden have all been floated as potential replacements, according to the report.
Starmer 'ready to resign' as PM, according to reports
22:59 , Holly BancroftSir Keir Starmer has realised that the “game is up” and is preparing to resign, according to a report in The Sunday Telegraph.
A senior government figure has told the paper that Sir Keir has realised he cannot cling on as prime minister and is considering how he could “shore up his legacy” before he is replaced.
The source said that there had been “quite a bit of movement” among cabinet ministers over whether Sir Keir should stay on, piling pressure on the Labour leader.
One government figure said that “something will have happened by the end of the week”, and warned that if Sir Keir did not resign “we could end up in mass resignation territory”.
Andy Burnham, who is now an MP after a resounding win in Makerfield, is said to favour a coronation as leader, rather than a contest over who should run the Labour party.
Starmer 'expected to resign as early as Monday' - report
22:30 , Alex RossAs the Labour leader spent the weekend taking soundings from ministers and MPs, a Downing Street source denied reports on Saturday night that he is preparing to set a timetable for his departure as early as Monday.
The Observer reported that a friend of Sir Keir said he would be arranging “a deliberate slow march in good order, as a matter of duty and dignity” from as early as Monday. But Downing Street denied the claim.
The Downing Street source pointed to his words of defiance on Friday when he insisted he would fight a challenge.
Starmer given deadline: ‘Quit by Tuesday or face humiliation’
22:20 , Alex RossSir Keir Starmer is facing “a hard deadline” of Tuesday morning’s cabinet meeting to step down, insiders say, after a senior Labour peer said the prime minister had “absolutely no authority” and should go.
The Independent has learnt that allies of Andy Burnham are plotting to ensure he is installed as Labour leader quickly, in a coronation rather than a contest.
Labour MPs are being called to give their support to the former Greater Manchester mayor, while it is understood that approaches have been made to former health secretary Wes Streeting, urging him to strike a deal and not try to force a contest.
Read full report here:
Starmer told to ‘quit by Tuesday or face humiliation’
Starmer condemns suspected 'anti-Muslim' attacks in Edinburgh
22:18 , Alex RossSir Keir Starmer has condemned the attacks in Edinburgh that have left five people injured, saying the suspect appeared to be motivated by “anti-Muslim hatred”.
The Prime Minister posted on X, linking to an image of a bare-chested man carrying a large weapon, saying: “Absolutely appalling. No one should face violence on our streets.
“The suspect appears to be motivated by anti-Muslim hatred. I will not tolerate this – he will face the full force of the law.
“My thoughts are with those who are injured and I thank the police and the emergency services for their response.”
Five injured in suspected ‘anti-Muslim’ attack as armed man seen roaming streets
I’ve known Andy Burnham for years – here’s everything Westminster gets wrong about him
19:00 , Maira ButtWhen I interviewed Andy Burnham for The Independent during his 2015 bid for the Labour leadership, he assured me this second attempt would be his last.
“There are only so many times you can do it,” he said. “This is the last time.”
Like many politicians before him, Burnham would argue that circumstances have now changed.
During his nine years as mayor of Greater Manchester, his answer to the leadership question evolved: he would answer the party’s call if it came. That moment has surely arrived, even if Keir Starmer has not yet given up hope of defying political gravity.
Andrew Grice reports:
I’ve known Andy Burnham for years – Westminster is wrong about him
Labour grandee warns against Burnham ‘coronation’
07:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainKate Devlin reports:
John Hutton, who served in both Blair and Brown’s cabinets, told The Independent there “shouldn’t be a coronation”.
Lord Hutton said ”we need to know what any new leader is actually going to do. Governing from within our own comfort zone would be a disaster - there are hard choices and no easy path to stronger economic growth, better defence, welfare reforms and curbing illegal immigration.”
But he said any contest “can’t drag on” and it was “better to get it over with”.
“Changing leader will probably prove to be the easy bit,” he added. “Governing more effectively - well, that is going to be just as hard as Keir Starmer found it.”
‘His time has come’: Makerfield voters want Burnham to become prime minister – as long as he doesn’t forget them
06:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA statement win in Makerfield has given Andy Burnham a chance to take on Sir Keir Starmer and become prime minister. What do voters now expect from their new MP? Dan Haygarth finds out:
“Keir Starmer is lost”, says Terry Miller.
It’s a sunny Friday morning in Ashton-in-Makerfield, a market town four miles south of Wigan which has spent the past month as the unlikely epicentre of British politics.
This town’s constituency, Makerfield, sent a decisive political message overnight which means that Mr Miller is likely correct - in many ways.
“We really feared that if Andy Burnham hadn't won yesterday, then the Labour Party would have gone into meltdown”, the retired health worker adds.
“And that would have just fed into Reform.”
Makerfield voters want Burnham to become their PM – as long as he doesn’t forget them
Former health minister urges Cabinet to tell PM to quit
Friday 19 June 2026 18:10 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA former health minister who resigned alongside Wes Streeting has called on the Cabinet to urge the prime minister to stand down following the Makerfield by-election.
Zubir Ahmed, MP for Glasgow South West, told Sky News that Cabinet ministers had a responsibility to be “as honest and explicit to the prime minister, to his face, as they are privately”.
He said: “I haven’t been in touch with any Cabinet ministers myself in the last few days, but that is ultimately one of the responsibilities of cabinet government in our unwritten constitution, that at times like this they do have an authority and a moral imperative to articulate very honestly to the prime minister where things are at.”
PM calls for his party to 'pull together' to fight Reform
Friday 19 June 2026 17:53 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe prime minister said he had not yet directly spoken with Mr Burnham since his victory, but added that he will, and had already sent a message of congratulations to him.
In a lunchtime call with Labour staffers, he called for the party to “pull together” in taking the fight to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and warned against “turning on each other”.
Sir Keir Starmer said: “The one thing we’ve got to avoid doing is plunging our party and our country into chaos by turning on each other and tearing apart our party and our movement.
“That has never worked. That’s what the last government did. We need to learn that lesson.”
Sir Keir is understood to have amassed a war chest to fund his campaign to fight any leadership challenge with the backing of a group of private donors, as first reported by The Times.
Fundraising has ramped up in the last two days with total pledges running into six figures, sources said.
Heidi Alexander was the first MP to tell Starmer to go
Friday 19 June 2026 17:41 , Maryam Zakir-HussainHeidi Alexander, the Secretary of State for Transport is understood to have been the first to tell the prime minister to go.
Other ministers have told The Independent they plan to tell Sir Keir Starmer he must set out a timetable to leave No 10.
Cabinet members, including Yvette Cooper, Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood are also said to be preparing to repeat their earlier demands that he do so, in the wake of Mr Burnham’s victory.
Labour publishes selection timetable for Greater Manchester Mayor two-horse race
Friday 19 June 2026 17:27 , Maryam Zakir-HussainLabour has published its candidate selection timetable for the Greater Manchester Mayoral contest on 30 July.
The election is set to be a two-horse race between Labour and Reform.
It comes after Labour romped home to victory in the Makerfield by-election, just a few weeks after Reform swept the board in the local elections in that area.Nigel Farage’s toxic and divisive party are a risk to the progress made in Greater Manchester which has seen transformational change with Labour in the last nine years.
That includes:
- Creating the Bee Network, bringing buses back under public control
- Unlocking massive investment for regeneration and new homes
- Securing the biggest transfer of powers from Westminster to Greater Manchester
- Reforming Greater Manchester Police, putting more officers on the streets
- Making tackling homelessness a regional priority through pioneering support programmes.
The new Labour Mayor will take the region to its next chapter - ensuring every town, every borough, and every person shares in Greater Manchester's success.
A Labour source said: “Labour in power in Greater Manchester has seen real improvements for people’s everyday lives. From buses back in public control with capped fares, to thousands more homes and additional infrastructure built – all of this progress could be put at risk with Reform.
“The Greens can’t win this race. It’s time to pass the torch from Andy Burnham, who has delivered for the area, to the next transformational Labour Mayor.”
Makerfield marks third successive by-election which sees Reform in second place
Friday 19 June 2026 17:20 , Maryam Zakir-HussainMakerfield is the third successive parliamentary by-election in which Nigel Farage’s political outfit has come second over the last year, following the Caerphilly by-election for the Welsh Parliament in October, and the Gorton and Denton Westminster by-election in February.
Andy Burnham defeated Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon by 9,231 votes, up from 5,399 in 2024, and Labour’s vote share increased by 9.61 per cent.
Following his win, he said Labour had a “final chance to change”, and he urged his party to act now, saying there would be no second chance.
He said: “Everyone knows that politics isn’t working.“Everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point.”
In an attempt to address the assertion that he was only seeking to become Makerfield’s MP to further his own ambitions, he said: “It will never be a stepping stone to me, but instead will be my touchstone.
“A Makerfield test at the heart of British politics will make sure that the places Westminster has neglected will now get fairness.”
Makerfield by-election as it happened: Burnham's landslide win opens door to Labour leadership contest
Friday 19 June 2026 16:55 , Maryam Zakir-HussainReform councillor apologises after posing with Jimmy Savile campaign poster
Friday 19 June 2026 16:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA Reform UK councillor who was pictured posed with acampaign poster endorsing serial rapist Jimmy Savile has apologised after facing heavy backlash.
Lilian Rogers, who is a member of Wigan Council in Greater Manchester, was pictured while campaigning for the Makerfield by-election with a resident, whose homemade sign read: “I would rather vote for Jimmy Savile than Labour.”
Savile, a presenter and DJ, who was found to be one of the UK’s most prolific sex offenders following his death in 2011, after which hundreds of sexual abuse allegations against him were investigated by the police.
Reform councillor apologises after posing with Jimmy Savile campaign poster
YouGov: 44 per cent of Britons say Burnham should challenge for the leadership – only 19 per cent say he shouldn’t
Friday 19 June 2026 16:17 , Maryam Zakir-HussainOur Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
- YouGov snap polling shows that if a contest is triggered, 38 per cent want Starmer to stand down and not take part, but 36 per cent think the prime minister should run himself
- 23 per cent of Britons think Burnham would be a better prime minister than Starmer
- 32 per cent anticipate that if Burnham were to become prime minister it would be a change from Starmer, while 43 per don’t think there would be much difference
‘His time has come’: Makerfield voters want Burnham to become prime minister – as long as he doesn’t forget them
Friday 19 June 2026 16:05 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA statement win in Makerfield has given Andy Burnham a chance to take on Sir Keir Starmer and become prime minister. What do voters now expect from their new MP? Dan Haygarth finds out:
“Keir Starmer is lost”, says Terry Miller.
It’s a sunny Friday morning in Ashton-in-Makerfield, a market town four miles south of Wigan which has spent the past month as the unlikely epicentre of British politics.
This town’s constituency, Makerfield, sent a decisive political message overnight which means that Mr Miller is likely correct - in many ways.
“We really feared that if Andy Burnham hadn't won yesterday, then the Labour Party would have gone into meltdown”, the retired health worker adds.
“And that would have just fed into Reform.”
Makerfield voters want Burnham to become their PM – as long as he doesn’t forget them
Cabinet to tell Starmer his 'time is up'
Friday 19 June 2026 15:57 , Maryam Zakir-HussainMembers of Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet are set to tell him his “time is up” and urge him to set out a timeline for his departure, it has been reported.
The Independent has spoken to ministers who have confirmed they will be urging him to quit, and to hand the keys to No10 to the Greater Manchester mayor.
Several key figures of his top team, including Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, and Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, have already done so.
PM's spokesperson denies there is a vacancy in No 10 Downing Street
Friday 19 June 2026 15:37 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe prime minister's official spokesperson denied that there is a vacancy for the prime minister's job amid pressure on him to step down following Andy Burnham's victory in the Makerfield by-election.
He also reiterated that Sir Keir Starmer would fight any leadership challenge, saying he has "been crystal clear about that for some time now".
It is understood the prime minister has passed his congratulations to Andy Burnham, but has not spoken to him directly.
Asked whether there is a vacancy for the PM's job, his spokesperson said: "No, I think the prime minister has been very clear this morning. There's more to do."
And asked whether there are any preparations in the civil service for change at the top of government, the spokesperson added: "The civil service, as you would expect, is working on the delivery business of government, and that continues”
Labour MPs demand Burnham ‘coronation’ as PM with ministers set to urge Starmer to quit
Friday 19 June 2026 15:12 , Maryam Zakir-HussainLabour MPs are clamouring for a coronation of Andy Burnham as prime minister, after his stunning victory in the Makerfield by-election, to prevent a drawn-out leadership battle that could crush the party's general election hopes.
Ministers have told The Independent they are asking for meetings with Sir Keir Starmer to urge him to set a timetable to quit, to make way for the former Greater Manchester mayor to take the keys to No 10. Cabinet members, including Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood have previously told to do so.
But a defiant Keir Starmer has refused to step down and made it clear he will fight any leadership contest, calling on the party “to pull together” and “avoid plunging the country into chaos”.
Labour MPs demand Burnham ‘coronation’ with ministers set to urge Starmer to quit
Cabinet to tell Starmer his 'time is up'
Friday 19 June 2026 14:52 , Holly EvansMembers of Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet are set to tell him his “time is up” and urge him to set out a timeline for his departure, it has been reported.
The Times reports that the prime minister will hold meetings and calls with cabinet members and backbenchers, as he attempts to convince MPs that he should remain in No10.
However, ministers will tell him that his “time is up” during face-to-face talks and urge him to set out a timetable for an “orderly transition”.
Several key figures of his top team, including Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, and Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, have already done so.
Taking Manchesterism to Westminster
Friday 19 June 2026 14:49 , Holly EvansAt the heart of Mr Burnham’s plan for Britain is “Manchesterism”, a political vision that, in short, brings together elements of devolution and nationalisation.
Informed by his time as mayor of Manchester, Mr Burnham has called for greater powers and funding decisions to be given to regional leaders who are best-placed to understand the needs of their community.
This often includes the power to control public services, as characterised by Manchester’s successful “Bee Network”. Comprising bus and tram routes across the city, the development of the scheme saw ownership of the infrastructure wrested from several private companies in a move that gave local decision-makers full control.
More widely, the city’s combined authority has also pledged a £1bn “good growth fund” to regeneration, employment, housing and homelessness projects. The city’s devolved powers are “pioneering”, Mr Burnham said earlier this year, and are thought to be a key part in Manchester’s 3.1 per cent annual economic growth since 2015, making it the leading UK city.
This approach could be expanded on the national stage, Mr Burnham has indicated, through both the nationalisation of public services and the decentralisation of political decision-making. In effect, the latter means taking some decisions away from Westminster, and giving councils and combined authorities “the control [they] need”.
Speaking to Channel 4 News in May, Mr Burnham said “deindustrialisation and privatisation” of Britain had left areas like Makerfield “without good jobs and people unable to afford the basics”.
How celebrities threw support behind Andy Burnham
Friday 19 June 2026 14:29 , Holly EvansAndy Burnham, who is widely mooted to be a prime ministerial hopeful, has won a resounding victory in the Makerfield by-election – after a number of high-profile celebrities gave him their backing.
Actors Hugh Grant and Steve Coogan were among the voices to champion Andy Burnham, who until recently had served as the mayor of Greater Manchester.
Grant, known for roles in the films Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral, appeared at a campaign rally on Wednesday night held in Stubshaw Cross Club in Ashton-in-Makerfield.
Coogan, meanwhile, best known for his long-running comedy persona Alan Partridge, appeared alongside Andy Burnham in a campaign video earlier this week.
In the clip, shared on social media last Saturday, the politician said he was “losing the poster war” and had been told that other campaigners had celebrity endorsements.
Read the full article here:
How celebrities threw support behind Andy Burnham
Lib Dem leader says result shows 'Reform can be beaten'
Friday 19 June 2026 14:11 , Holly EvansSir Ed Davey said the Makerfield by-election showed “Reform can be beaten” as he accused Labour of engaging in a “fight over the keys to No 10” while people are struggling.
The Liberal Democrat leader said: “Yesterday’s result shows that Reform can be beaten, just as the Liberal Democrats have done in local elections across the country.
“But while Labour fight over the keys to No 10, people are struggling.
“We need real change, not more chaos, starting with a new deal with Europe.”
Yesterday’s result shows that Reform can be beaten, just as the Liberal Democrats have done in local elections across the country.
— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) June 19, 2026
But while Labour fight over the keys to No. 10, people are struggling.
We need real change, not more chaos, starting with a new deal with Europe.
What Andy Burnham as prime minister might mean for your mortgage, taxes and more
Friday 19 June 2026 14:01 , Holly EvansAndy Burnham’s landslide win of the Makerfield by-election has Britons wondering if he could really be the next prime minister and, if he is, what that might mean for their finances.
We’ve all seen politicians say they plan to do one thing, and ultimately be incapable or unwilling to make it happen – so it remains to be seen if Mr Burnham in No 10 would be able replicate the success he has seen as mayor of Greater Manchester.
But, based on what he has previously said on the economy, The Independent takes a look at how your pocket might be impacted in the event of a change in leadership.
Read the full article here:
What Andy Burnham as prime minister might mean for your money
Watch: Starmer insists he will stand in any leadership contest after Burnham win
Friday 19 June 2026 13:44 , Holly EvansStreeting ally says he has support to launch leadership race
Friday 19 June 2026 13:32 , Holly EvansOne of Wes Streeting’s closest allies has said he has the necessary support to stand in a leadership race.
Labour MP Melanie Ward said that all of the key players, including Andy Burnham, need to speak to each other over the weekend to decide on an orderly transition of power.
Speaking to Vicki Young on Politics Live, she says: "In the life of any captain of a team … there comes a time when the captain has to hand over the armband - a time when the captain has lost the dressing room."
Ward also said Mr Streeting is "prepared to speak to the other key players and work out a different way through this".
Will Makerfield regret electing Andy Burnham?
Friday 19 June 2026 13:14 , Holly EvansI’ve known Andy Burnham for a long time. Exactly two years ago, I found myself and a film crew standing with him on the hallowed turf at the home of Wigan Warriors, talking not just about politics but about family, football, ambition and what drives somebody to keep going in a profession that can be as brutal as politics often is.
During the course of that conversation, I managed to persuade him to commit to the all-night general election special I was hosting on Sky News, which took rather more arm-twisting than I had originally anticipated.
As two people from the area discussing the prospect of an all-nighter, I suspect I probably made some joke or other about Wigan Casino and suggested the television version would be considerably less fun, but there would be Percy Pigs when we needed a sugar rush in the middle of the night. It swung the deal.
Read the full analysis from former Sky News broadcaster Kay Burley here:
