Sir Keir Starmer is reflecting on the “political realities” he now faces, a Cabinet minister said as he failed to rule out the possibility the Prime Minister could resign.
The Prime Minister vowed not to walk away from his post on Friday, in the immediate aftermath of Andy Burnham winning the Makerfield by-election, but pressure has been mounting over the weekend.
The number of Labour MPs calling for Sir Keir to go has since topped 100 – just under a quarter of the party’s MPs – and includes some who signed a letter warning against a leadership contest just last month.
Labour grandees have also spoken out, with former home secretary Alan Johnson saying Sir Keir should step aside and Lord Falconer saying he has “no authority” because it is assumed he will be replaced.
The Prime Minister is understood to be at Chequers with his wife this weekend.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle told broadcasters on Sunday he had not spoken to the Prime Minister since Friday, when he had a “frank conversation” with him.
He failed to rule out reports Sir Keir Starmer is planning to announce his resignation as soon as the coming week.
He told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “I have nothing to believe that they are true. I’m seeing a lot of speculation out there.
“The only thing I can say with fact is that the Prime Minister is hard at work, as he is every day.
“He is one of the most hardworking people I’ve ever come across, and today, as in every other day I’ve ever known Keir, he is out there working hard.
“At the same time he is also trying to create the space where he can think and reflect on the political realities and challenges, and the opportunities, that lie before us.”
He told the BBC that “whatever unfolds” in the coming days will be a “functional process” whereby the Labour Party puts the “interests of the country first and foremost”.
“I don’t know what’s going to unfold in the days that lie ahead. I don’t know the decisions that he will make on behalf of our country as he considers these issues, and then makes decisions.
“But we will find a way for this to be whatever unfolds, a functional process, one where the Labour Party is seen to put the interests of the country first and foremost, and we will carry on delivering for this country through whatever does unfold in the days ahead,” he told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
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