Keir Starmer expected to announce departure as prime minister on Monday

Starmer would be reflecting on ‘what putting country first means in a moment like this’, said the business secretary, Peter Kyle. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Reuters View image in fullscreen Starmer would be reflecting on ‘what putting country first means in a moment like this’, said the business secretary, Peter Kyle. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Reuters Keir Starmer expected to announce departure as prime minister on Monday Overwhelming pressure from Labour MPs pushing Starmer towards decision to step down UK politics – live updates Keir Starmer is expected to announce on Monday that he will step down as prime minister, after overwhelming pressure from Labour MPs to make way for Andy Burnham to become Labour leader. The prime minister and his allies had insisted for weeks that they would fight a leadership challenge from Burnham, or anyone else, before the Makerfield byelection in which Burnham secured a return to Westminster. But on Sunday morning, the business secretary, Peter Kyle, told Sky News that Starmer was spending the weekend “making time to reflect on the political realities” he faces. Speaking for the government, Kyle refused to say what he thought Starmer’s plans were, or what he had asked the PM to do. Asked if Starmer did plan to step down on Monday, Kyle said he had no reason to think this was the case. He said that Starmer would be reflecting on “what putting country first means in a moment like this”. He did not push back on the idea that a change in No 10 was imminent after Burnham’s big win in Thursday’s byelection. Saying he had spoken at length to Starmer on Friday, Kyle said: “What I know for a fact is that he has been engaging in conversations with a wide, wide range of people, including myself, and that he is working really hard over this weekend. “I think he is making time to reflect on the political realities, challenges and opportunities that he finds himself in. You know, I think that is what people would expect him to be doing at this moment in time.” Downing Street denied that Starmer was planning to go, saying his position was unchanged since Friday. Speaking to reporters then, Starmer had said: “If there is a contest, just to be clear with you, then, yes, I will run.” He said such a contest would “plunge us into chaos”. View image in fullscreen Andy Burnham won the election to become MP of Makerfield, opening the way for his leadership challenge. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images After the Greater Manchester mayor won Thursday’s contest by a significant margin over Reform, gaining a 9,000-plus majority and more than 50% of the vote, Burnham’s team believed they had the support of around 200 Labour MPs, around half the parliamentary party. That number has since increased, with Burnham becoming increasingly confident of a coronation in which he would take over as Labour leader and thus PM without a contest, with Starmer setting out a relatively quick timetable for departure. On Friday, ministers previously