June 19, 2026
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday he would not walk away from his job, vowing to fight any challenge from his leading party rival Andy Burnham and potentially ushering in a new bout of political instability.
Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, won a decisive victory for Labour in an election for a parliamentary seat in northwest England, and has signalled that he will use it to enter any contest to replace Starmer.
The scale of his victory in Makerfield prompted more Labour lawmakers to say Starmer should consider stepping down to choreograph an orderly handover to Burnham.
But Starmer, who won a landslide election in 2024, said he was "not going to walk away", reeling off a list of actions during his two years in power: closer ties to the European Union, stabilising the economy and reducing waiting times for the health service.
