Keir Starmer’s final hours
6/22/202620 min
Keir Starmer is on the brink of resigning – the only question left is when does the drama end.
After a tense weekend, the Prime Minister remains under intense pressure from his cabinet to quit, with Downing Street braced for the end of another short-lived premiership.
Meanwhile, fresh from his Makerfield by-election victory, Andy Burnham returns to Westminster. But can the King of the North pull off a smooth succession to No10?
Sam Coates and Anne McElvoy have inside information from both the Starmer and Burnham camps on whether Labour can manage a seamless transition or whether a brutal leadership battle lies ahead.
Plus, if there is to be a handover of power in the coming weeks, what are the pro and cons?
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
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Sam Coates· Host0:29
[upbeat music] Hello, good morning, and welcome. It's Monday, June the 22nd. The Starmer era is over. Within hours, Keir Starmer looks all but certain to have indicated his intention to step down as prime minister. Less than two years into the job, he's lost control, and now he's out, with Britain heading towards its seventh prime minister in a decade. My name is Sam Coates of Sky News.
Anne McElvoy· Host0:55
And I'm Ann McElvoy from Politico. Andy Burnham arrives in Westminster at lunchtime. He is not quite yet, at the time of recording, [chuckles] technically an MP after winning that Makefield by-election handsomely. That happens this afternoon, after which he will have the traditional photo call with Labour MPs, which I'm sure almost all of them will make a big effort to attend with a smile.
Sam Coates· Host1:22
[laughs] Yes, you can imagine people will be clearing their diaries, uh, for that. Um, but the big picture about what happens next is down to