Prime Minister Keir Starmer posted a Father's Day message on X, calling fatherhood 'the greatest joy,' while ignoring mounting pressure to resign. Senior cabinet figures including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Ed Miliband, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander are believed to have advised him to step aside.
Starmer's Social Media Post Amid Crisis
Starmer wrote: 'Today, I'm thinking about my dad, and the father I am to my children because of him.' The post came as sources indicated he may set out an exit plan as early as Monday, after consulting with his wife Victoria and children.
Cabinet Pressure and Potential Successor
Business Secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that Starmer was reflecting on 'political challenges he faces today,' adding that Labour must uphold its 'authority' in government. Kyle noted that Andy Burnham, who recently won back the Makerfield parliamentary seat, has the 'qualifications' and 'temperament' to lead.
Political Instability Ahead
If Starmer resigns Monday, Britain would see its seventh prime minister in 10 years. Former Tory PM Rishi Sunak warned in the Sunday Times that Burnham would not have more power 'than on his first day in the job' and that being a 'better communicator' would not suffice. Sunak, who became PM in October 2022 after Liz Truss's 49-day premiership, acknowledged that lacking a leadership contest weakened his mandate.
