British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to announce his resignation on Monday, after concluding that his position at No. 10 Downing Street was no longer tenable following the recent return to Parliament of his Labour Party rival Andy Burnham.
Mr. Starmer is spending the weekend at Chequers, the official country residence of the prime minister, where he is discussing his future with his wife, Victoria, before making his final decision, according to The Observer newspaper.
A Labour Party official told The Observer that Mr. Starmer won’t leave abruptly but has acknowledged the political reality.
“Stopping chaos — as he rightly put it — is now not possible by staying, so that leaves one option,” said the official, who was described as being close to Mr. Starmer. “I think he has come to see it as the dutiful option to serve the country and the party.”
Mr. Starmer’s weakened political position reached a critical stage on Friday when Mr. Burnham, a former mayor of Manchester, won a seat in Parliament that would allow him to launch a formal leadership challenge.
The Observer said Mr. Burnham will be sworn in as a member of Parliament on Monday and is due to meet the prime minister early in the week. His supporters said that he has secured the support of more than 201 Labor lawmakers.
“This is a critical number because it represents more than half the Parliamentary Labour Party and means that Starmer can no longer tell the King that he is able to command the confidence of the House of Commons,” The Observer reported.
President Trump said Mr. Starmer is being pushed out of office because he “failed badly” on two critical subjects, immigration and energy.
“I wish him well,” Mr. Trump said Sunday on Truth Social.
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