The UK prime minister’s support within Labour has reportedly dwindled to just a handful of “friends and family”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer could announce plans to step down as early as next week amid collapsing support within his Labour Party, the Telegraph reported on Saturday, citing government officials.
Calls for Starmer’s resignation have grown since Labour lost nearly 1,500 seats in local elections in May. The pressure escalated after Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham secured a decisive victory in Thursday’s Makerfield by-election. Burnham is said to have the backing of close to 300 Labour MPs, prompting allies to predict an uncontested transfer of power.
According to a senior government official cited by the outlet, there has been “quite a bit of movement” among Cabinet ministers since Burnham’s by-election victory, prompting Starmer to realize that the “game is up” and focus on how to “shore up his legacy.”
One Labour MP, previously loyal to Starmer, told the Telegraph that the prime minister could announce his departure as soon as Monday, claiming his support among Labour MPs had dropped to only a handful of “friends and family.”
“There’s no one left. Literally people whose relatives work in No 10 or people who are long-term personal friends of Keir’s are pretty much the only ones left,” the lawmaker said, adding that any attempt by Starmer to challenge Burnham in the Labour leadership race would be “like trying to fight gravity.”
Another government source predicted that “something will have happened by the end of the week,” warning that if Starmer refuses to step down, Labour could enter “mass resignation territory.”
A former MP who had backed Starmer as recently as last month described him as “a goner,” arguing that Burnham was better placed to build a broad coalition ahead of the next general election.
According to the Telegraph, several senior Cabinet ministers, including Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, have privately urged Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure rather than fight a leadership battle.
Starmer became prime minister after leading Labour to a landslide victory in the 2024 general election. His popularity has since slumped amid the cost-of-living crisis and fallout from the UK rape gangs scandal. A mid-June YouGov poll put his approval rating at 18%, with 74% of Britons viewing his premiership negatively.
Downing Street has rejected suggestions that the prime minister is preparing to resign, insisting that he stood by his vow on Friday to resist any challenge and arguing that a leadership battle would “plunge us into chaos.”
