The prime minister called many of his Cabinet ministers to shore up support ahead of the weekend.
The prime minister called many of his Cabinet ministers to shore up support ahead of the weekend (Image: Getty)
Sir Keir Starmer spent Friday (June 19) frantically sounding out senior Cabinet ministers as pressure mounted over his future, only to discover dwindling support among his top team. The prime minister personally contacted a select group of ministers amid growing calls for him to step aside following Andy Burnham’s stunning victory in Makerfield on Thursday.
“He was reaching out to people who perhaps two months ago he thought were locked in but could now potentially be wavering,” a Government source told The Telegraph. Instead of rallying around the Labour leader, several Cabinet ministers are understood to have urged him to set out a timetable for his departure. “More Cabinet ministers than not told him that he needs to set out a timetable,” a source told the newspaper. Among those reportedly calling for clarity was Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, while Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is also said to have pressed Sir Keir to resign.
Rachel Reeves remains one of the few senior Cabinet figures still publicly backing the PM (Image: Getty)
“As a result of the list of names and the wobbly ring round, Keir will realise the game is up and the next few days will be about shoring up his legacy,” the Government source claimed.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves remains one of the few senior Cabinet figures still publicly backing the prime minister as speculation intensifies over his future. Sir Keir is understood to be spending the weekend with his family as he weighs whether he has enough support to continue.
The mounting pressure follows Labour’s defeat in Makerfield, where supporters of Andy Burnham believe the result has transformed the leadership contest. As late as Saturday night, Downing Street remained adamant that Sir Keir would stay on and fight any challenge.
One Burnham-supporting Labour MP told The Telegraph: “Lots of Starmer backers and Wes [Streeting] backers who have seen the huge result are now quickly trying to jump on board. It is the herd moving.”
Burnham will be meeting people across the parliamentary Labour Party in the coming days (Image: Getty)
They added: “Lots of new intake MPs want to meet Andy. He will be meeting people across the parliamentary Labour Party in the coming days.”
“I hope he’ll [Sir Keir] make an announcement on Monday and go by [the] conference,” a member of the Government said, which will take place in late September.
One loyalist MP said: “I think if Keir held firm, there is a fair chance that Andy would implode and at best would arrive at the finish line much damaged.”
The turmoil comes as damning new polling suggests public confidence in the Labour leader has slumped. An Opinium survey of more than 2,000 adults found 55% believe Sir Keir should resign as Labour leader, compared with 25% who think he should remain. The poll also gave the prime minister a net favourability rating of -42.
