Keir Starmer is ringing members of the Cabinet in a bid to shore up his position in the wake of Andy Burnham’s by-election victory .
The Prime Minister is already understood to have spoken to at least two Cabinet ministers, including David Lammy, the Deputy Prime Minister, and Richard Hermer, the Attorney General, as his premiership faces a day of reckoning.
He has calls scheduled with other Cabinet ministers over the next two days as he continues to vow to fight any leadership contest, while Burnham is engaged in a counter-operation with supporters continuing to ring around more MPs in a bid to garner so much support that Starmer will be forced to stand down.
Shorts
Starmer is expected to ask them whether they are loyal to him – amid claims he will sack anyone who does not support him.
When his authority was under threat in the wake of Peter Mandelson’s resignation and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar calling for him to resign in February, targeted messages of support from Cabinet colleagues helped to dampen the crisis of leadership.
And in the wake of disastrous local election results, Cabinet ministers were asked to tweet out supportive statements and give positive interviews.
The move is part of Starmer’s efforts to face down any threat to his leadership. He has repeatedly said he will not walk away and will fight on. But it could prove a high-risk strategy if Cabinet ministers fail to back him.
A Government source confirmed Starmer was “speaking to people” as pressure on his leadership ramps up following Burnham’s win.
A No 10 source did not deny Starmer was speaking to Cabinet members but pointed out he was on a visit this morning.
The frantic round of calls came after Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, swept to victory in the Makerfield by-election in the early hours of Friday, securing the House of Commons seat he needs to mount a bid for the leadership – and, with it, a potential path to No 10.
Supporters of Burnham have been calling around MPs this week to ask for their nomination for a potential leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer, The i Paper has learnt.
One MP, who had previously been loyal to Starmer, was contacted by Burnham’s team on Thursday as voters went to the polls in the Makerfield by-election and has decided to back the Greater Manchester Mayor’s bid for Parliament, a Labour source said.
A source close to Burnham said there was “constant dialogue between parliamentary colleagues throughout recent weeks, with MPs reaching out regularly” in both directions.
Burnham needs the backing of 81 MPs to trigger a leadership contest but is reportedly seeking the backing of more than 200 as a show of strength to try and force Starmer to stand down rather than fight a contest.
Allies of Wes Streeting meanwhile refused to repeat the former health secretary’s insistence that he would fight any contest, suggesting Burnham may yet become PM in a coronation without a challenger if Starmer decides his time is up.
Following the Makerfield result, Burnham said in a victory speech that Labour had a “final chance to change” and urged his party to act now.
“This is what people said directly to me on the hundreds of doorsteps that I stood on,” he said.
“We must hear it, we must act upon it and we must get it right. There will be no second chance.”
But Starmer vowed to fight on, telling reporters at an event in north London: “If there is a contest, then yes, I will stand.
“I have said repeatedly, I am not going to walk away from that.”
But in a sign that the mood was shifting further against Starmer, previously loyal MPs went public on Friday with calls for him to go.
Fabian Hamilton, who backed Starmer after disastrous local election defeats for Labour last month, said: “In the days and weeks to come, the Prime Minister must set out his plans to step aside and allow Andy Burnham to deliver the change we were elected to deliver.
“If he does not, I will support Andy in any leadership contest.”
Patrick Hurley meanwhile said he had changed his mind recently on Starmer’s leadership, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that voters want “speed, urgency, decisive action” rather than the “methodical” and “forensic” leadership of the Prime Minister.
Elsewhere, several Labour MPs privately called for Starmer to go, saying the scale of Burnham’s victory had changed the calculus on whether he should fight a contest.
One said: “The PM was preparing to stand, for sure, and probably still is but the result was bigger than anyone expected so wonder if he might reconsider?
“I wouldn’t expect anything to happen over the weekend other than gossip and chat. It will be Monday or Tuesday until we get any real indication.”
Another senior Labour MP said: “I think the parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) and trade unions are pretty united in terms of wanting change.
“It needs to happen quickly and Keir needs to take responsibility as leader of the party for a quick transition for the sake…
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