Rebel Labour MPs rally behind Andy Burnham as Keir Starmer faces leadership challenge | LBC

The UK Prime Minister has given up (again).

After 23 months as Prime Minister, Keir

Starmer officially resigned on 22nd June 2026, triggering a scramble for leadership from Labour MPs.

Despite describing his government as a “10 year project of renewal”, (insert link) Starmer has resigned as Prime Minister following pressure circulating from all directions.

The Labour Party suffered back-to-back record defeats at the local ballot box earlier this year, which signalled the public’s undeniable dissatisfaction. Starmer lost 1,496 councillors and lost 38 seats across

England; a loss that was largely Reform’s gain by winning 1,451 seats and 14 councillors. (insert link)

As tabloids and news agencies broke the news last Monday that the Prime Minister had resigned, the situation felt all too similar to 2016, 2019, 2022… and 2022 again.

While many were unsurprised to hear of Starmer’s resignation, it has undoubtedly brought chaos in Westminster as calls for an election clash against Labour’s up-and-coming star choice for the

leadership role.

Going into the 2024 election, Labour hit new heights, breaking the ‘blue wall’ and ending Tory rule of over a decade. Yet, Starmer has fallen drastically in the polls since then.

You only need to look at Lord Mandelson’s, who served as UK ambassador to the US in 2025, dismissal over links to Jeffrey Epstein as a clear indicator of weak leaders unable to enforce scrutiny.

Also, Starmer’s consistent inconsistency marked him as a leader of weak values, highlighted by the several U-turns throughout his time as PM. Most notably, the U-turn on the welfare bill. (insert link)

It is easy enough to bring a new figurehead into a Party, put a blanket over past failures and claim to start on a fresh, new slate; however, the antidote for lack of public support is not as simple.

In Burnham’s first speech as “prime minister in waiting” earlier this week, he promised hope as he unveiled a new direction for Britain.

He vowed to overhaul the country’s broken political system and lift the spirits of Labour MPs. He laid out some of the key decisions in a decade-long plan pioneered with the promise of a “No. 10 of the North”; an outpost of 10 Downing Street which he claimed would be “the nerve centre of a rewired Britain”.

His devolution agenda, criticisms of Westminster, and rewriting of trickle-down economics have promised to bring UK politics out of a rut and drive growth in every postcode; highlighted by his own success bringing Manchester buses back into public ownership.

Looking to the other side of the ballot, parties previously labelled as ‘fringe’ have moved into the centre ground, stealing votes from both Labour and the Conservatives.

The impacts of this rise – irrespective of Labour’s failures- will make it harder and harder for any party to secure a majority if a general election were to go ahead.

Leader of the Green Party, Polanski, and Leader of Reform, Farage, have both made wide-sweeping gains in an attempt to accumulate support ahead of future elections; even if it is coming sooner than

expected.

Tackling politics from the periphery is tricky; navigating through fear-mongering news agencies, jargon-heavy policies and cynical tactics to stir up support.

In recent years, it is undeniable that politics has seeped its way into everyday life, rooting itself in conflicts between neighbours, social media and even how people raise their children.

The UK is dealing with problems in every sector, with many people jumping the gun on who to support.

Extremist rhetoric is being masqueraded as evidence-based politics, and even if Labour has found their next leader-in-waiting, an election sits on the horizon.

One thing that must be said is that listening to the news and reading Party policies is perhaps the most important way of bringing back power to the people and holding those in power accountable.

Writing to your MP and voting can bring meaningful impact to the UK’s policy direction during a time of toxic misinformation