Top people in government expect Prime Minister Keir Starmer to leave his job

Sir Keir Starmer could announce plans to step down as UK prime minister as early as Monday.

Senior government officials say that Mr Starmer is expected to set out how and when he would leave Downing Street, as well as a plan to hand over power to a new leader.

However, no official statement has yet been made.

Mr Starmer has recently faced growing pressure to quit his job after some poor election results in England, Scotland and Wales last month.

More people in Mr Starmer's Labour Party also began asking questions about his future as prime minister, after Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election last week and became a Labour MP.

This means that Mr Burnham is now able to challenge the prime minister for his job and for the role of Labour leader, although no decision has been made about who could take over.

Senior officials in Mr Starmer's Labour Party expect the prime minister to announce both his resignation and a plan to hand over to his successor as early as Monday.

However, it is unclear whether that could last weeks or even months.

Henry Zeffman, BBC's chief political correspondent, said: "Let's be clear, if he does resign, that doesn't mean he would be gone today. It doesn't mean he would be gone tomorrow. In fact, there's some sense that he might say he'd like to stay for another two or three months."

While a leadership contest to find a new person to replace Mr Starmer is possible, some reports suggest that Mr Burnham could become leader in the next few months without the need for a contest if he quickly gains enough support from the party.

If the UK does get a new prime minister, a new cabinet government will also be appointed.

Andy Burnham was elected MP for Makerfield last week after winning 55% of the vote.

He beat Reform UK, the party that finished in second place, by around 9,000 votes.

In his victory speech, Burnham urged his party to act now, saying there would be no second chance.

He said: "Everyone knows that politics isn't working.

"Everyone can feel that the country isn't where it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point."

He added that this was a result that could "bring about a country that works for everybody."

Now that Burnham has been elected as the new MP for Makerfield, he is widely expected to make his bid for the Labour leadership and the job of prime minister.