UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been given until the end of this week by his cabinet allies to announce a timetable for his departure. If he fails to do so, he could be forced out of the Labour Party leadership. The pressure follows Labour’s Andy Burnham winning the Macclesfield by-election by a large margin, with many MPs expecting him to become the next prime minister within weeks.

Around 200 Labour MPs are reportedly ready to sign nomination papers supporting Burnham, while his backers prefer an uncontested transition. Senior ministers including Heidi Alexander, Ed Miliband, and Shabana Mahmood have urged Starmer to set a clear exit timeline. Veteran figures David Blunkett and Harriet Harman have also called for a leadership schedule. Starmer, however, has vowed to continue and warned that a leadership contest could cause chaos within the party.

Party insiders say that if Starmer does not signal resignation or succession plans by this week, the next cabinet meeting could see major intervention. Meanwhile, his supporters are rallying behind Chief Secretary Darren Jones as an alternative to Burnham, while former health minister Wes Streeting may back Burnham in exchange for a senior role.