Starmer weighs future as Labour MPs urge him to stand down

Keir Starmer’s authority was visibly weaker than it was a week ago as more than 100 Labour MPs, just under a quarter of the parliamentary party, were reported to be demanding that he resign or set out a timetable. An ally said on Sunday that Starmer was “taking the time to think through what the political realities are today compared to last week,” a blunt signal that his standing inside Labour had shifted fast.

The immediate shock came from Andy Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election on Thursday, June 18, 2026. Burnham won for Labour with about 54.8% of the vote and 24,937 votes, beating Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon, who took 15,696 votes and 34.5%. Burnham’s majority was 9,241 votes, or 20.3 percentage points, a result that has fuelled speculation in Westminster that he could emerge as a rival if Starmer’s position continues to deteriorate.

That concern has spread beyond the usual backbench noise. Business Secretary Peter Kyle said on BBC and Sky News Sunday programmes that he had a “frank conversation” with Starmer on Friday and that the prime minister was reflecting on the “political realities.” Kyle also said he had no reason to believe Starmer would resign on Monday, but the fact that the cabinet was openly discussing his future underlined how far the mood had darkened.

Starmer spent the weekend at Chequers with his wife, Victoria, while taking soundings from ministers, friends and allies. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper was reported to have told him he should stand down, making her the most senior minister yet to do so. That matters because it exposes a widening gap between the public posture of loyalty and the private warnings now reaching Downing Street from within Labour’s top ranks.

Under Labour Party rules, any challenger would need nominations from 20% of the parliamentary Labour Party, 81 MPs, to trigger a leadership contest. With more than 100 MPs already said to be pushing Starmer either to go or to name an exit date, the threshold is no longer a distant procedural hurdle. After Labour’s poor local election performance, the question in Westminster is no longer whether Starmer faces pressure, but whether enough of the party now sees him as an electoral asset to keep in place.