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Burnham starts byelection campaign with thinly veiled pitch for No 10

Starmer, or moves to push him into stepping down, an idea Burnham did nothing to dispel. He said: “I’m prepared to take that fight as high as I can go. I want to play

Starmer must go before next election, say Labour-backing unions

Starmer will not lead the party into the next election. The group, which includes Unite, Unison and GMB, added "at some stage" a plan will have to be put in place for the election

TUC leader ‘angry’ at state of Labour but says it can recover to win next election

leadership, the TUC’s general secretary, Paul Nowak, said it was clear there was an “overwhelming sense of frustration” with Starmer in a [statement issued by Labour-affiliated trade unions](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/13/labour-unions-keir-starmer-leader-election) last week

What would ‘change’ look like if Andy Burnham becomes prime minister?

Labour’s campaign pledges not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT. And during the byelection campaign he went even further, saying he would consider cutting some employers’ national insurance contributions, and proposed reducing

‘Hold the line’: Burnham tells allies in parliament he still has options to return

leadership race would move too fast for the mayor, with [Wes Streeting](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/wes-streeting) expected to start an accelerated process this week. “It’s a big shit cocktail. We’re all doomed,” they said

Andy Burnham has plan to return to Westminster ‘within weeks’, allies say

leadership contest – which would give the man dubbed “the king of the north” time to return. “There are very strong possibilities of this happening within weeks but certainly months and over the summer,” one Burnham

Andy Burnham seeks advice from Sue Gray on forming future Labour government

party about how we improve our electoral performance in the years ahead, because we don’t want to hand the country to Reform,” Jones said. Jones, a senior ally of Starmer, called Burnham a “brilliant

Mandelson and McSweeney: a partnership forged on winning and crushing the Labour left

party. But in the early days, Mandelson was among the few who were genuinely interested in what Starmer and McSweeney were building. ![Peter Mandelson and Keir Starmer stand side by side. Both are wearing suits

Labour MPs say ‘endless drama’ of leadership speculation must stop

leadership speculation, as Downing Street begins a fightback against predictions of an imminent challenge to [Keir Starmer](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/keir-starmer). Some backbenchers warned that repeated briefings about how and when the prime minister could

Catherine West backs down from Starmer challenge but urges him to go by September

leadership, has changed course and said she instead wants the prime minister to set a timetable of September for his departure. West, the MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet and a former Foreign Office minister

What did Keir Starmer say in ‘last chance’ speech to save his premiership?

leadership, Starmer said he would. He repeatedly set out the argument that any attempt to remove him would be deeply damaging to both Labour and the country more widely. “I take responsibility for not walking

The key figures in Andy Burnham's inner circle

Starmer think tank; became an MP and quickly a minister, from which he had to resign over accusations about his conduct at the think tank. He is seen as a likely candidate for a role

John Healey says Labour infighting puts government’s credibility at risk

Starmer as prime minister. “Politics to me is not about the individual. I don’t much care about photo opportunities or PR firms. People will not forgive us if they think we’re more concerned

‘A shift has taken place’: Starmer faces the music after weekend of reflection

party and a movement.” Just 48 hours later, one of his most loyal ministers was on the BBC sending a very different message. “I don’t want to come on here and be delusional that

Prime Minister Keir Starmer expected to announce exit plan: UK media

party that has lost support under Starmer, whose popularity ratings have sunk. If Starmer does announce his exit, he will be the sixth prime minister in a decade to stand outside 10 Downing Street

Burnham cleared to run for selection in pivotal by-election

Starmer as prime minister. The prime minister is continuing to resist calls to stand down and set a timetable for his departure and is expected to fight any challenge from Burnham or other likely contenders

Wes Streeting: PM-in-waiting or ‘this generation’s David Miliband’?

Labour, including self-deprecating ones from the man himself. So while his allies played down the prospect of a bid [as recently as the weekend](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/09/mps-from-labours-left-to-urge-ed-miliband-to-consider-leadership-bid), this was largely in the hope that

Labour campaigners in Makerfield fear their sheer numbers may annoy voters

Labour and Robert Kenyon of Reform UK. Photograph: Rod Harbinson/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock All polls in the constituency have given Burnham a clear lead over Kenyon, though MPs who have visited the area in recent days

Henry Zeffman: What does Keir Starmer do next after Andy Burnham's Makerfield win?

Starmer they're talking about: the man who not even two years ago brought Labour back to the promised land of government after 14 years away, and only five years after Labour's worst ever

Starmer considers political future as pressure to quit mounts

Starmer is weighing up his political future as pressure grows on him to announce his resignation. It comes as cabinet ally Peter Kyle said the prime minister was considering "political realities" after Andy Burnham