Why Keir Starmer’s Resignation Looks More Likely Than Ever
6/21/202638 min
Today, we look at strong indications the prime minister may be on the verge of resigning.
Cabinet Secretary Peter Kyle’s message this morning was that he is reflecting on the "political realities". It’s a departure from the not ‘he’ll fight on’ message of 2026 up to now.
Henry Zeffman joins Laura and Paddy in the studio to look at the possible timetable of a resignation and the appointment of a replacement.
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Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn and Maddie Drury. The social producer was Gabriel Purcell-Davis. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsPaddy O'Connell· Host0:00
Patrick O'Connell Laura Kuenssberg, Wendy has sent an email And Wendy says, "I, like many across the political spectrum, feel a sense of unease as we stand at the cliff edge of yet another change of prime minister."
Laura Kuenssberg· Host0:13
Henry's here. He's not at home. Do you feel a sense of standing on a cliff edge of another prime minister?
Henry Zeffman· Host0:19
I feel a slight sense of bewilderment because, yes, prime ministers have changed an awful lot in the past decade, but it is still shocking that this morning we feel it is likely, I think we can say, perhaps even stronger than that, that another change is about to happen. Um, so I think we're used to standing on this particular cliff edge now, but that doesn't make it any less jarring, for sure.
Paddy O'Connell· Host0:44
And the reason why we can say more strongly on Sunday morning than we were able to look ahead to yesterday, that we may well be on the verge of Keir Starmer going, is because for weeks, Keir Starmer and his allies have been saying, "I'll fight if there's a contest. I'll carry on." This morning, this is what the Cabinet Minister Peter Kyle had to say.
Peter Kyle· Soundbite1:09
These are decisions for Keir to make, and that's why I said that he is taking the time as well as dealing with all the issues that a prime minister deals with over a weekend, a very busy weekend, that he's also taking the time to think through what the political realities are today compared to last week, the week before. Uh, but I know that he's a prime minister who always puts country first, and that he'll be framing every decision