Sir Keir Starmer has been blunt with his cabinet telling them this morning he plans to “get on with governing”.
A leadership contest has not, so far, been triggered but he faces growing calls to resign.
York Central Labour MP, Rachael Maskell, said in an interview with YorkMix Radio last night which you can listen to here, that he was well meaning and committed but he just doesn’t have the breadth of skill to be able to take us to the place that we need to be to see off the challenge of Nigel Farage and Reform UK.
Senior minister, Darren Jones, suggests any return of Manchester mayor Andy Burnham would be “fantasy politics”, telling the BBC conversations about “strategy” should happen “internally”.
Ms Maskell backs Andy Burnham for PM if he gets back as an MP. That could require someone to step down to allow him to fight a By-election.
She said: “I think there are people that realise that the enormity of the task ahead of us, it’s really important to be able to elect the right Prime Minister. And therefore I think colleagues will make such considerations, because this choice is bigger than one individual.
“And of course, you know Andy Burnham knows the north west inside out, not least being there there. So I’m sure his interest would be to represent part of the community he already serves. So let’s see how that rolls out.”
As the meeting ended there were statements of support for Sir Keir Starmer, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden briefly spoke to the BBC.
He says the prime minister’s “going to continue with his job as he should, as the public will expect him to do. And I’m going to continue with mine.”
Asked if anyone challenged him around the cabinet table, he says there were “many statements of support for the job he is doing”.
Meanwhile, “This is not a game,” says Housing Secretary Steve Reed. “This instability has consequences for people’s lives.” In a post on X, he argues: “The people who will be hurt most will be those that elected us less than two years ago. “We must unite behind the Prime Minister.”
