Pressure grows on Starmer to step aside for Burnham – UK politics live

Ministers say PM faces being forced out by party if he does not act, with one calling his departure inevitable

Cabinet loyalists tell Starmer he has the weekend to set out timetable for exit

‘Within 10 mins, he’d nicked it’: illustrator on his ubiquitous image of Burnham

Keir Starmer faces pressure from cabinet ministers and MPs to avoid a bruising leadership battle and instead set a timetable to hand power to Andy Burnham, who won a resounding majority in the Makerfield byelection.

The prime minister pledged to fight to keep his job, but ministers loyal to Starmer have urged him to set out plans to step down over the weekend.

Starmer called members of the cabinet on Friday afternoon to set out his determination to fight on. The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, is said by sources to be among those who expressed concerns in a call on Friday.

At least two ministers, Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood, have previously suggested to Starmer that he should set out a timetable for his departure.
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