Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Keir Starmer is reflecting on the "political realities" this weekend, according to a cabinet minister, as pressure grows on him to set out a timetable for his departure.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle said this morning that he did not want to "be delusional that there is no process" and "no forces at work" that are challenging Starmer as party leader.

It appeared to be a change in tone from the government. The line from Number 10 earlier in the morning was that the PM's position hadn't changed since Friday, when he vowed to fight on.

Signs are growing that he could set out plans to resign tomorrow, our political correspondents report.

Donald Trump has weighed in on the topic today, asserting that Starmer "will resign" having "failed badly" on immigration and energy. No 10 tells the BBC Starmer has not spoken to Trump this weekend.

It comes as around 100 Labour MPs have now called for a change in leader. It is understood that cabinet ministers including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander have also told the prime minister to go.

Andy Burnham has been quiet this weekend after his victory in Makerfield, but he is widely considered the favourite to replace Starmer - here's how that might work.

Kyle said Burnham "could" have the talent to lead the party, but shadow chancellor Mel Stride described him as a man who "flip flops".

We're now bringing our live coverage to a close, but you can read more in our news story.

Chris Mason
Political editor

Image source, No 10 Downing Street

Keir Starmer confronts tonight the lonely reality of being abandoned by many in his party. And dealing with the humiliation of President Trump saying he will resign before he’s said anything himself.

Defiance dilutes and then drains when an incumbent prime minister realises their capacity to viably govern is deserting them.

We know of at least four cabinet ministers – the home and foreign secretaries among them – to have told Starmer he should set a timetable for his departure.

It isn’t plausible to simultaneously leave them in their roles for long and ignore their demands.

Option one, then, sack them, replace them and stumble on, as the hot favourite to be your successor, Andy Burnham, barrels down the West Coast Mainline to Westminster.

Option two, seize what agency you retain and shape what happens next by setting a timetable for going. Then the question of how long to hang around? Some in the party see a contest as key to stress testing Burnham and any others.

Some fret such a contest could look inward looking, gratuitous and drag on all summer.

One option that appeals to some Labour MPs is a process involving them – hustings at Westminster – but not a full-blown vote involving trade unions and party members.

In that scenario a new prime minister could potentially be in place within a week or two – and sooner still if the momentum behind Andy Burnham is overwhelming.

Many in Welsh Labour looking at Burnham to turn the tide for partypublished at 17:53 BST

17:53 BST

Teleri Glyn Jones
Presenter, BBC Politics Wales

After a fractious, and often toxic few months where Welsh Labour has felt divided and directionless, there seems to be a newfound sense of optimism today that change is on the way.

Privately, MPs and MSs have concluded for some time that Keir Starmer is not the man to lead them to the next general election but, this weekend, they feel like he has finally got the message.

At the Welsh Senedd elections in May, his name and his policies came up time and time again, when voters were asked why they were deserting Labour in droves.

Losing so much ground to Plaid Cymru on the left when Reform was threatening from the right meant there wasn't a clear consensus when diagnosing what went wrong.

While some said the UK government wasn't "standing up for Wales" enough, others said the party hadn't done enough for its working class base.

But after the Makerfield by-election, it's hoped in the Welsh Labour Party that Andy Burnham can do both.

Many in the party are hoping that his understanding of devolution of power to English cities means that he will be more sympathetic when it comes to Wales and his ability to communicate means he can re-engage voters.

But, above all else, he has shown that he can beat Reform convincingly and that means even those who were backing Wes Streeting to be leader are switching their allegiance.

Home Office minister Mike Tapp has suggested a legislative change to make it so a general election has to be called if a party forces a change of leader while in government.

"That would stop the constant churn and focus all politicians on delivery, instead of work place politics," he says on social media, criticising "endless 'house of cards' games".

He previously backed the PM in the aftermath of the 7 May elections, saying stability was needed for the country.

Some MPs have challenged the idea, with the Labour MP for Calder Valley Josh Fenton-Glynn saying mid-term "course correction" is the "norm" in UK politics.

"Mike Tapp appears surprised that we are a parliamentary democracy," he says.

Image source, Pool/ Getty Images

Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on Friday after Andy Burnham's victory at the Makerfield by-election, and insisted he "will stand" if there is a leadership contest.

"I've said repeatedly I'm not going to walk away from that," he said.

The prime minister has said in recent weeks that he does not want to "plunge" the country into the "chaos" of a leadership contest.

Starmer has not spoken to the media today, although he posted on X earlier saying he was "thinking about my dad" on Father's Day.

Downing Street said early this morning that its position remained unchanged from Friday, when the prime minister was determined to fight for his job.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC later in the morning that Starmer is taking the time this weekend to "think through what the political realities are today", adding that he is a prime minister who always puts "the country first".

Kyle said he did not want to "be delusional that there is no process" and "no forces at work" that were challenging Starmer, but insisted the PM is currently carrying out his job with "authority".

Our political correspondent Nick Eardley writes that Kyle's messaging was a change in tone for the government - he was not repeating the prime minister's insistence from Friday that he would continue.

Trump weighing in on Starmer's future is not first social media swipe at the PMpublished at 17:16 BST

17:16 BST

Tomos Morgan
North America correspondent

When Trump became president for the second time, Starmer made extraordinary efforts to ensure the so-called special relationship continued.

He played up to the president's ego, giving him a second state visit - making Trump the only president to receive two.

Early policy differences with the US on trade and tariffs, recognition of a Palestinian state and the future of Greenland were cautiously navigated so as to avoid a break between them.

But the war with Iran changed everything.

In January, even before the first missile was fired, Trump lambasted Starmer for handing over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius calling it "an act of total weakness" - as the US wanted to use the UK military base there to launch attacks against Iran.

The relationship has not recovered. Time after time there have been critical remarks towards Starmer, with Trump at one point saying "he’s not Winston Churchill", and threatening "the US won’t be there to help you (the UK) anymore".

No 10 says the two leaders have not spoken over the weekend, suggesting Trump’s message that Starmer will resign is a social media swipe based on speculation. But it’s another low point in their relationship.

Joe Pike
Political correspondent

No 10 has told the BBC that Sir Keir Starmer has not spoken to Donald Trump this weekend.

It follows a social media post from the president which said: "Keir Starmer will resign as prime minister of the United Kingdom."

It is unclear whether this intervention was based on specific insight or if it is a response to wider media speculation about the prime minister's future.

Sir Keir has not appeared in public since Friday, when he told broadcasters that he would fight any challenge to his leadership.

The BBC has contacted the White House for comment.

Trump's comments on Starmer's future are utterly unconventionalpublished at 16:14 BST

16:14 BST

Chris Mason
Political editor

A defining feature of much of Starmer’s time in Downing Street has been how to handle the most wildly unpredictable American president in modern history.

The essence of this is never knowing what he might say next — and his capacity to drive a coach and horses through what others might regard as diplomatic niceties and conventions.

And here we are, perhaps on the eve of the prime minister announcing his resignation, and President Trump has got there first — and, as is standard for him but still utterly unconventional — offered a public commentary on the policy choices of a fellow democratically elected leader.

Convention says leaders don’t tend to offer a commentary on their peers’ domestic policy choices. But President Trump has never been much of a fan of political convention.

What we don’t know is if the president actually knows any more than the rest of us, or is joining the dots, as many others are.

Downing Street is yet to comment on whether the prime minister and the president have spoken this weekend.

Chris Mason
Political editor

As we've just reported, Trump has posted on social media that Starmer "will resign" as prime minister.

What we don’t know as we digest that post is the extent to which this is the president joining the dots or if he knows something definitive.

Given the capacity of Trump to pick up his smart phone and tap out a message on social media I think No 10 would have been alive to sharing anything with the US before saying anything publicly.

Even if this is Trump joining the dots, frankly, this weekend the dots are there to be joined.

It is not ludicrous for anybody to look at the political facts and see it is likely the prime minister will be setting out his resignation timetable pretty soon.

Image source, EPA

US President Donald Trump has weighed in on growing speculation about the PM's future.

He writes on Truth Social: "Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom. He failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well!"

The line from No 10 this morning was that the PM's position hasn't changed from Friday, when he vowed to fight on. Cabinet minister Peter Kyle said this morning Starmer has been spending part of the weekend reflecting on the "political realities".

Burnham's victory in Makerfield has shown he can beat Reformpublished at 14:28 BST

14:28 BST

Nick Eardley and Henry Zeffman
Political correspondent and chief political correspondent

Image source, EPA

Labour MPs argue the problem isn't necessarily the party, it's the man at the top. They believe the prime minister is personally unpopular - and that it is Sir Keir Starmer who is holding his party back.

The result of the Makerfield by-election looks set to be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Andy Burnham's victory wasn't even close - he beat Reform comfortably. For Labour MPs despairing about how they take the fight to Nigel Farage's party, they now have a leadership contender who can argue he has a track record of doing exactly that.

Dozens of MPs had already said Starmer should quit. That list has grown since Thursday, with senior cabinet ministers adding their voices privately.

The fact that it is known that ministers including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander have told the prime minister to go and yet they remain in their jobs speaks volumes about how Starmer's authority has collapsed.

Burnham is now the overwhelming favourite to be the UK's next prime minister.

If Starmer does resign in the coming days, the next question is whether there is any contest at all.

Wes Streeting, the former health secretary, always said he would stand. But his allies are now saying there should be conversations between candidates for No 10 about what the future looks like.

There are some hints a deal could be struck (even if Team Streeting are saying for now that their position hasn't changed).

• Read the rest of the analysis here.

Image source, Trafford Council

While Andy Burnham's victory in the Makerfield by-election on Thursday has opened up a path for him to challenge Keir Starmer as Labour leader, it has also left a vacuum in his former role as Greater Manchester mayor.

The Green Party has named Trafford councillor Geraldine Coggins as their candidate for the contest, looking to build on their success in the Gorton and Denton by-election earlier this year.

Coggins told supporters at a launch event in Manchester it was a straight contest between the Greens and Nigel Farage's Reform UK as she pledged to improve transport, housing and choose "people and planet over profits".

The mayoral election is scheduled to take place on 30 July, with Labour set to announce its candidate on Friday.

Throughout our coverage, we have been referring to Andy Burnham's win in the Makerfield by-election, where he took 24,927 votes.

Here is a reminder of how the victory went down, in numbers:

• More than 45,500 votes were cast in the Makerfield by-election
• That equates to 58.8% of the constituency. It's the first time since 1982 that a by-election turnout was greater than that of the previous general election (52.5% in 2024)

• Burnham secured 55% of the vote overall - and increased Labour's vote share by 10 percentage points
• 15,696 votes - or 35% - went to Reform UK, bumping the party's vote share by three percentage points
• Newcomers Restore Britain received 3,111 votes - or 7%
• 997 votes went to the Conservatives, 308 to the Greens and 163 to the Lib Dems

As the day dawned to an Andy Burnham victory in Makerfield on Friday, Prime Minister Starmer congratulated the man who has set his sights on No 10 while later asserting he would fight any challenge to his leadership.

Today, the mood at the top of government has changed. Here's how we got here:

• Andy Burnham wins Makerfield just after 03:00 BST on Friday by a significant margin and declares "this is a final chance to change" in a message to Labour
• At approximately 06:00, Starmer congratulates Burnham. Later he warns a leadership race would plunge the country into "chaos", repeating he would contest any race. He also urges Labour to "pull together as a party and a movement"
• Allies of Burnham and Wes Streeting, another leadership contender, tell the BBC neither will make public appearances over the weekend, in an apparent bid to give the PM room to decide his future
• In a conversation with the PM, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander suggests he set out a timetable to leave office, the BBC is told. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is also understood to be urging him to set out a plan to resign
• On Sunday morning, No 10 responds to reports suggesting Starmer could resign as soon as Monday, saying he's "getting on with the job"
• Business Secretary Peter Kyle tells the BBC Starmer is making time this weekend to reflect on the "political realities", saying he had a "thoughtful conversation" with the PM on Friday - though he did not say Starmer would resign

Nick Eardley and Henry Zeffman
Political correspondent and chief political correspondent

Image source, No 10 Downing Street

The signs are growing that tomorrow could see the prime minister set out a plan to stand down.

Sir Keir Starmer has always insisted he will not walk away and will fight any leadership challenge. But the mood in government has shifted in the past 48 hours.

Several government insiders now think that the prime minister could announce a timetable to quit - as soon as Monday.

The signs were clear that things are moving quickly in what Business Secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC this morning.

The prime minister, he said, would do "what is in the best interests of the country".

Starmer, he added, was reflecting on the challenges he faces and political realities.

The challenges for the prime minister have been steadily growing for some time.

• You can read the rest of the article here.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

The result of Thursday's Makerfield by-election has led to a growing number of MPs within the Labour Party calling on Keir Starmer to resign, including figures within his own cabinet.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander held a conversation with the prime minister on Friday following Andy Burnham's victory, with the BBC being told she suggested Starmer set out a timetable to leave office.

It is also understood that Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told the Labour leader to draft exit plans, while Business Secretary Peter Kyle told BBC's Laura Kuenssberg that there is clear "political uncertainty" and Burnham "could be one of those people" with the talent to lead Labour.

The latest set of comments from Starmer's frontbenchers came after ministers such as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband urged the PM to set out a resignation timetable following Labour's poor performance in the May elections.

Starmer's senior ministers are scheduled to meet for the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday, though some believe the leader's departure could come as soon as Monday.

Has a leadership challenge been triggered?

No - and the timing of any possible challenge is still unclear.

Will the prime minister stand?

Party leaders are automatically on the ballot paper unless they resign. On Friday, Keir Starmer said he "will stand" in any contest.

Who are the possible contenders?

Much of the talk has focused on Andy Burnham and former Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

Angela Rayner is favoured by some on the left of the party, while former armed forces minister Al Carns has hinted he could also enter a leadership race.

BBC Wales News

By Nick Bourne

Welsh Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement that voters "want to see change".

"Let's be honest, Keir is a very, very decent man but the country, and Wales especially, is crying out for change," she said earlier.

The Gower MP said a "divide" had been created in the Senedd following May's Welsh Parliament elections, which saw Labour - which had been in power since 1999 - beaten into third place behind Plaid Cymru and Reform.

"I'm not pro-Burnham, pro-Wes, pro-anybody. I just need the change. We need the change," Antoniazzi said.

"I would like to see a leader that takes us up to the next general election and gives us a good foundation in which to win and be in power for another five years and, sadly, that person isn't Keir."

Image source, PA Media

Cabinet minister Peter Kyle told Laura Kuenssberg earlier the prime minister is making time this weekend to reflect on "political rallies" ahead of an expected challenge to his job.

Being Father's Day today, Keir Starmer has made clear on X this morning he's also making time think about another important topic.

"Being a dad is my greatest joy. Today, I’m thinking about my dad, and the father I am to my children because of him. Happy Father’s Day," he says.

Starmer told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in 2020 that he didn't often talk about his father, Rod, who died in 2018.

At the time he spoke of his regret at not being close to his late father, who he described as a "difficult" and "complicated" man.