Starmer expected to resign as UK prime minister on Monday after Labour revolt; Trump says he 'failed massively'

Internal revolt brings down a prime minister

The Labour government of Keir Starmer, in power since the July 2024 election landslide, is on the verge of collapse less than two years later. After a weekend of crisis talks at the prime minister’s country residence Chequers, Starmer has accepted that his position is “no longer sustainable,” The Observer reported. Minister of State for Business and Trade Peter Kyle, a close ally, told the BBC that Starmer was “reflecting” on new “political realities” and pointedly refused to rule out an announcement on Monday.

Multiple cabinet heavyweights are reported to have privately urged Starmer to quit. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband all delivered the same message: resign quickly or face a confidence vote among Labour MPs. “The game is over,” a senior government figure told The Telegraph. Another Labour ally told The Sun that there was now only a 25% chance the prime minister would continue fighting.

Burnham’s ascent

The single event that triggered the final crisis was Andy Burnham’s landslide victory in the Makerfield by-election last week. Burnham, who resigned as mayor of Greater Manchester to return to parliament, will be sworn in as an MP on Monday. His supporters say he has the backing of more than 201 Labour MPs, a clear majority of the parliamentary party. An Observer source said Starmer had been confronted with the reality that “the support is not there” and that “everyone knows this is no longer a sustainable proposition.”

Trump’s intervention

From across the Atlantic, President Donald Trump added to the pressure with a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. “Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He has failed massively on two fundamental issues: immigration and energy (free the North Sea oil!). I wish him well!” Trump wrote. Downing Street denied that there had been recent contact with the White House over the matter.

The weekend at Chequers

Starmer spent the weekend secluded at Chequers with his wife Victoria, making a series of calls to ministers, union leaders and party funders. The prime minister had said on Friday that he would fight any leadership challenge, but the private advice he received was unanimous in its call for him to stand aside. “He has hit hard against the reality that the support is gone,” an ally told The Observer. Another Labour figure said Starmer appeared “resigned” and was now focused on “consolidating his political legacy.”

A party under siege

Beyond the immediate leadership contest, Labour is grappling with a collapse in poll ratings, a drubbing in May’s local elections, and the rise of Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK. The scandal surrounding Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to Washington (Mandelson was a friend of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein) further eroded public trust. Burnham’s supporters believe he is the only figure who can halt Labour’s decline and take on Reform UK in the constituencies. A handover of power is expected to be completed within weeks, and possibly days.