‘Fighter’ Keir Starmer will NOT set out departure timetable, David Lammy insists
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy described Keir Starmer as ‘the most resilient person I’ve known in my life’ and said there will be no timetable for his departure, as dozens of MPs have demanded
Keir Starmer has no intention of setting out a timetable for his departure, said David Lammy(Image: Getty Images)
Keir Starmer will not be announcing a timetable for his departure, Deputy PM David Lammy has insisted.
Mr Lammy described his boss as “the most resilient person I’ve known in my life”. It comes amid reports that the Prime Minister is weighing up setting out a plan to leave, as has been demanded by dozens of MPs.
Mr Starmer himself has said he has no intention of doing so – and Mr Lammy doubled down when pressed about the reports. Mr Lammy said: “Let me be really clear. Keir Starmer remains the most resilient person I’ve known in my life.
“I spoke to him twice yesterday. He has a strength of character, a fighting experience – there will be no timetables. What there is, is getting on with the business of government. Really crystal clear about that.
“At the moment there is no contest. What there is, is his determination to deliver for the British people. Accelerate the pace over the coming months. (There is) much to do.”
Asked by Sky News host Sophy Ridge to confirm there would be no timetable for Mr Starmer’s departure, Mr Lammy said: “There will be no timetable for departure.”
Mr Starmer’s position is in peril, with a long list of Labour backbenchers demanding he steps down. And in a frantic week five ministers including former Health Secretary Wes Streeting stepped down. The others were Jess Phillips, Zubir Ahmed, Alex Davies-Jones and Miatta Fahnbulleh in a hammer blow to his leadership.
If Mr Burnham is successful in the by-election, set to take place next month, he is expected to launch a leadership challenge. Mr Streeting has also indicated he will stand if a contest is triggered. A candidate would need the support of at least 81 MPs in order to launch a leadership bid.
On Sunday Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy appeared to veer away from the Government line that Mr Starmer would stand against his rivals if a leadership challenge was launched. She told the BBC: “It’s a very personal decision for him.”
She later added: “So, I wouldn’t write off the Prime Minister, but I would just say that this is a very personal decision. He’s got to make that decision himself.”
On Monday morning Mr Lammy was asked whether Mr Starmer’s supporters should back Andy Burnham in the Makerfield by-election, where he is bidding to return to Parliament. The Deputy PM said: “Let’s step back.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat this, I thought that the Labour Party over the last 10 days had a spectacular own goal after those local election results. We have a by-election to fight. We need to remember our responsibilities as a government.
“We are not in opposition, we have the levers of power. Today I’m talking about the new justice white paper, last week we had the King’s Speech. I want us to see those leasehold reforms, I want to see us standing by people in the cost-of-living crisis. All of that will be discussed on the doorstep in Makerfield.
“We need to ensure that these 10 days are brought to an end, because if we get 10 weeks, people will look at us, they will see what happened under the Tories, and we will be out of office in a few years’ time.”
