Why Even Keir Starmer's Allies Believe His Days In No.10 Are Numbered

The prime minister's claim that he will fight any Labour leadership contest has been met with scepticism.

Even Keir Starmer’s enemies concede that he is a decent man.

So when he says that he won’t voluntarily walk away from 10 Downing Street and will stand in any Labour leadership contest if one is triggered, we should believe him.

His closest supporters insist that, as things stand, he does intend to fight to hang on to a job he’s had for less than two years.

But they also admit privately that the chances of him being able to do so are essentially zero.

The sheer scale of Andy Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election means it is now inevitable that he will succeed Starmer in No.10, one way or another.

He nearly doubled Labour’s majority, and won more than 50% of the vote, in a seat where every council ward was won by Reform UK barely a month ago.

Even Labour MPs who are sceptical about Burnham’s abilities – and there remain many of them – admit that he is the best chance they have of saving their seats at the next general election.

In a call with Labour staff on Friday, Starmer said the party needed to “pull together” and “take the fight” to Reform in the Greater Manchester mayoralty by-election which will take place on July 30 as a result of Burnham’s return to Westminster.

“The one thing we’ve got to avoid doing is plunging our party and our country into chaos........

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