Summary

  • Senior government figures expect Keir Starmer to announce his resignation plan as soon as this morning

  • We still don't know for sure the prime minister is leaving, writes Henry Zeffman - but his team has done little to dampen the speculation

  • Andy Burnham - who could replace the PM - will be in Westminster today to be sworn in as MP for Makerfield, after winning the by-election last week

  • If Starmer does resign, many people inside Labour anticipate a "coronation" - meaning Burnham would be the only candidate to replace him

  • That could mean he takes over by late September, around the Labour conference - but some of his supporters think that timetable is too slow

  1. No cabinet minister backing Starmer this morning, and that tells a storypublished at 08:04 BST

    Henry Zeffman
    Chief political correspondent, reporting from Downing Street

    No disrespect to Jacqui Smith, who's a very distinguished, experienced figure, but if Keir Starmer were fighting on, I would expect a member of the cabinet to be out there batting for him this morning.

    They're not and I think that does tell a bit of a story.

  2. Minister: Starmer 'reflecting' on challenge to rolepublished at 07:57 BST

    Jacqui Smith

    Skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith says Keir Starmer has spent the weekend "governing" as she's asked whether she expects him to resign today.

    "This is a period of time when there is a challenge to the prime minister," Smith accepts.

    "He is reflecting on that, he's thinking about how to respond to it."

    Pressed further on whether Starmer might step down to allow Andy Burnham to become prime minister without a leadership contest, Smith says he should be afforded the "time and space" to consider the country's best interests and carry on the "process of government".

  3. PM stepping down would be 'right thing to do', says former ministerpublished at 07:50 BST

    Zubir Ahmed MP and Under-secretary in the Department of Health stand in front of fishing cages at North Shields fish quay. He is dressed in a suit with a purple tie and is wearing a green Macmillan Cancer Support waterproof jacket.

    Former health minister Zubir Ahmed says he believes Prime Minister Keir Starmer setting out a timetable for him to step down is "the right thing to do".

    Last month, Ahmed - an ally of Wes Streeting - resigned his ministerial role after having "lost confidence" in Starmer as PM.

    "I think what's been happening over the weekend... is that he has been reflecting - cabinet colleagues have been telling him that the current situation is unsustainable," Ahmed tells Radio 4's Today programme.

    "It sounds like we're slowly getting to a point where the PM is going to set out a timetable to allow for an orderly transition to new leadership," he says.

    "I think that's the right thing to do."

  4. No general election needed if Starmer leaves, says Tory shadow ministerpublished at 07:46 BST

    Shadow minister Alex Burghart doing media interviews outside BBC Broadcasting House in London, after appearing on the BBC One current affairs programme, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. Picture date: Sunday March 30, 2025Image source, PA Media

    There is no need for the government to call a general election if Starmer is ousted as prime minister, says Conservative shadow Northern Ireland secretary Alex Burghart.

    Asked if the Conservatives will call for such a general election, Burhghart tells Radio 4's Today programme: "No, look, constitutionally there doesn't have to be a general election. You can change prime minister."

    Burhghart, who earlier spoke to BBC Breakfast, adds that "what matters is that the prime minister has the support of MPs in Parliament".

    However, he adds that if a general election is called, his party is "ready for it".

  5. Who could be in big jobs if Burnham becomes PM?published at 07:33 BST

    Henry Zeffman
    Chief political correspondent

    If Andy Burnham gains the keys to No 10, here are some of the MPs and advisers who could be given key roles:

    Louise Haigh: The former transport secretary was the first of Keir Starmer's cabinet ministers to quit, after it emerged in November 2024 that she had a fraud conviction prior to entering parliament. On the backbenches she emerged as a crucial power broker on Labour's "soft left" and has been a major figure in Burnham's Makerfield campaign.

    Louise Haigh and Anneliese MidgleyImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Louise Haigh and Anneliese Midgley

    Anneliese Midgley: Midgley has been Knowsley MP since 2024. She previously worked for Starmer's office in opposition following stints at the TUC, Unite and in former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's team. She is seen as a plausible candidate for chief whip or even to be the political secretary in Downing Street.

    Miatta Fahnbulleh: She resigned as a junior minister for communities in the aftermath of the May elections. Since then she has been working on policy ideas for a potential Burnham government.

    Josh SimonsImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Josh Simons and Miatta Fahnbulleh

    Josh Simons: He's the man who gave up his seat for Burnham. Simons is said to have been helping Team Burnham on policy, though he has a different ideological background to Fahnbulleh, and is seen as a likely candidate for a role in a Burnham Downing Street.

  6. PM stepping down would not be a shock after poor polling figures - pollsterpublished at 07:14 BST

    Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks with local residents during a visit to a housing development project in north London to announce major reforms for families and first-time buyers to save time, money, and stress during the homebuying process. Picture date: Friday June 19, 2026Image source, PA Media

    Keir Starmer stepping down would not be a shock following poor polling since May's local elections, says Sophie Stowers, from the research and polling organisation More in Common.

    Stowers tells Radio 4's Today Programme that More in Common's polling showed that more than half of people questioned believed Starmer should step down as PM after May's elections.

    “So it’s not necessarily a shock if the prime minister does decide to leave,” she says.

    She says “most” people in that same poll said they would like to see a general election “earlier rather than later”.

    “But they are split on whether that means an election should be held immediately or just at some point ahead of schedule before 2029,” she adds.

  7. Shadow minister: Keir Starmer is a 'busted flush'published at 07:00 BST

    Alex Burghart

    Labour MPs have "completely blown it" and "lost the confidence of the country" after waiting for 14 years to get into power, the Conservatives' shadow Northern Ireland secretary says.

    Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Alex Burghart says Prime Minister Keir Starmer is a "completely busted flush".

    Should Starmer resign, Burghart warns the period of instability that might follow would be "very bad for the United Kingdom", adding "we can’t be a country that changes PM every few years".

    Despite welcoming rumours of Starmer's exit, the Tory MP suggests Andy Burnham, the figure mooted to replace him, won't have a much better relationship with the Conservative Party.

    Burghart explains his party is prepared to work with anyone "who takes difficult decisions on welfare", but says "everything we've seen about Andy Burnham is that he would like to do the opposite".

  8. What have we heard over the weekend?published at 06:54 BST

    All eyes are on Downing Street this morning, with the expectation that Keir Starmer could say something about his future.

    Here is a reminder of some of what we heard over the weekend:

    On Sunday morning, Business Secretary Peter Kyle told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that Keir Starmer is reflecting on the "political realities".

    Our political correspondent Nick Eardley says Kyle’s messaging marked a change in tone from the government. He wasn’t repeating the prime minister’s insistence from Friday that he would continue.

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

    Donald Trump and Keir Starmer pictured at the G7 in France last weekImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Donald Trump and Keir Starmer pictured at the G7 in France last week

  9. When would the next PM take over if Starmer resigns?published at 06:38 BST

    Henry Zeffman
    Chief political correspondent

    If Keir Starmer does resign, one of the most important questions is that of timing - when would the next prime minister take over?

    Increasingly, many in Labour anticipate a “coronation”, which means Andy Burnham would be the only candidate.

    Some influential figures in Burnham's camp want him to take over around the time of the annual Labour conference in late September, believing this would give him more space to prepare for government and ensure he can hit the ground running if he becomes prime minister.

    But other leading supporters of the former Greater Manchester mayor believe that timetable is far too slow, arguing that an interregnum of three months would grind government to a halt as speculation about what exactly Burnham's plans for government could be build into a frenzy.

    For now, the most important voice in that is Starmer: he may be so angry at how he’s been treated by Labour MPs that he’d rather go sooner than later, or he may see the appeal of using the next few months to secure specific policies he sees as central to his legacy.

    Starmer, pictured at the G7 meeting in France last weekImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Starmer, pictured at the G7 meeting in France last week

  10. Who is Andy Burnham?...in 90 secondspublished at 06:29 BST

    Media caption,

    Who is Andy Burnham?.. in 90 seconds

    Andy Burnham - the newly-elected Labour MP for Makerfield - could be the next prime minister.

    He was the mayor of Greater Manchester for the past nine years, and has had a seat in Parliament before, representing Leigh from 2001 - 2017.

    He has twice run to be Labour leader, in 2010 and 2015, and lost both times.

    Here the BBC's Ben Wright takes a look at Burnham's life and political career.

  11. We don't *know* Starmer is leaving - but that is the widespread expectationpublished at 06:28 BST

    Henry Zeffman
    Chief political correspondent, reporting from Downing Street

    It is important to emphasise that this morning we still do not know that Sir Keir Starmer is going to resign.

    But we do know that an imminent resignation is the widespread expectation throughout government. That has been widely reported throughout the media for more than 24 hours now and Downing Street has done little to dampen the speculation.

    Should Starmer resign, it would be our sixth prime ministerial resignation since David Cameron announced his departure the morning after the Brexit referendum (which was 10 years ago tomorrow).

    That is an extraordinary rate of prime ministerial churn.

    There’ll be plenty of discussion to come about the causes of that chaos: chaos which Starmer’s Labour promised to end.

    Starmer behind lecternImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The prime minister announcing new social media rules for children in Downing Street last week

  12. It's just after six on a Monday morning, and the world's media are on Downing Streetpublished at 06:18 BST

    Jon Kay
    BBC Breakfast

    Jon Kay

    Anything could happen during BBC Breakfast this morning; we are poised in Downing Street.

    The world's media are already here too, at 6 o'clock on a Monday morning.

    I've never seen it quite this busy so early.

    • You can watch our live coverage in our stream at the top of the page
  13. Where is Keir Starmer this morning?published at 06:07 BST

    Henry Zeffman
    Chief political correspondent

    The prime minister is in Downing Street this morning, having returned from his weekend at Chequers, his country residence in Buckinghamshire.

  14. How did we get here?published at 05:57 BST

    Burnham, wearing a white polo shirt, opens his arms with a crowd behind himImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Andy Burnham's by-election victory in Makerfield has changed the mood in Downing Street

    The pressure on Starmer ramped up considerably after the local elections in May, in which Labour lost almost 1,500 councillors in England and the party lost power in Wales, while recording its worst ever result for the Scottish Parliament.

    However, discontent had been rising long before the elections, including over his decision to change direction on three major policies in a month last year.

    Starmer's decision to appoint Lord Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US also led to questions about his judgement. Lord Mandelson was sacked after new information came to light about the depth of his relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

    While Starmer had been vowing to fight any leadership challenge, the tone shifted after Burnham beat Reform UK in Makerfield on Thursday and increased Labour's majority, bucking a recent trend of electoral losses.

    That led to cabinet ally Peter Kyle saying on Sunday the prime minister was considering "political realities".

  15. Analysis

    All eyes on No 10 - what does the PM say, and when?published at 05:37 BST

    Chris Mason
    Political editor

    Starmer leaves No 10Image source, PA Media

    For the third time in four years, we appear on the brink of a prime minister announcing their plan to leave office, not because they have lost a general election but because their own party has concluded they would be better off without them.

    Many people within government and in the wider Labour Party expect Sir Keir Starmer to say just this, perhaps as soon as this morning.

    His premiership, in the eyes of many on his own side, has been deflating for months.

    Burnham's victory last week – and the scale of it – uncorked the bottle of Labour Party dissent that had been constrained by the by-election campaign.

    The prime minister spent the weekend mulling his options, knowing he was, frankly, running out of 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.

    Read Chris's analysis here.

  16. 'Game over': What the papers are sayingpublished at 05:31 BST

    A split image of the Guardian and the Mirror

    Sir Keir Starmer dominates the front pages of Monday's front pages, with every paper believing his time in No 10 is up.

    The Guardian reports that he is expected to announce a timetable for his departure this morning, while the Mirror declares it's "game over" for Starmer on its front page.

    And while theDaily Telegraph reports that Burnham plans to become prime minister by September, the Independent quotes US President Donald Trump as saying the PM "will resign".

    See all of Monday's front pages here.

  17. Starmer mulls political future as Burnham heads to Westminsterpublished at 05:28 BST

    Joe Pike
    Political correspondent

    Andy Burnham and Sir Keir Starmer appearing together in a composite image - both are wearing glasses and have neutral expressionsImage source, Getty / PA Media

    Sir Keir Starmer could announce a timetable for his departure from Downing Street as soon as this morning.

    The prime minister has been under mounting pressure to quit since Andy Burnham’s victory at the Makerfield by-election last week.

    All weekend Labour politicians kept largely silent - leaving the prime minister to mull his political mortality at Chequers.

    Today that is likely to end, with senior government figures expecting Starmer to announce both his resignation, and a plan to hand over to his successor.

    It is unclear whether that could last weeks or even months. While a leadership contest is possible, a coronation looks increasingly likely - with Burnham the probable beneficiary. He is due to be sworn in as an MP in the Commons chamber this afternoon.

    If the UK does get a new prime minister - its fifth in four years - a new cabinet will be appointed and a new policy platform set out. Opposition parties are likely to question whether Starmer's successor has the mandate.

    Stay tuned as we bring you all the latest developments and analysis throughout the day.