From 26m agoKeir Starmer expected to announce departure as prime minister on MondayPeter WalkerThe Guardian’s senior political correspondent, Peter Walker, has more on the prime minister’s intentions going forward:Keir Starmer is expected to announce on Monday that he will step down as prime minister, after overwhelming pressure from Labour MPs to make way for Andy Burnham to become Labour leader.The prime minister and his allies had insisted for weeks that they would fight a leadership challenge from Burnham, or anyone else, before the Makerfield byelection in which Burnham was hoping to secure a return to Westminster.But on Sunday morning, the business secretary, Peter Kyle, told Sky News that Starmer was spending the weekend “making time to reflect on the political realities” he faces.Speaking for the government, Kyle refused to say what he thought Starmer’s plans were, or what he had asked the PM to do. You can read the full story here:Key events26m agoKeir Starmer expected to announce departure as prime minister on Monday31m agoStarmer is reflecting on the 'political realities and challenges' he currently faces, cabinet minister says43m agoStarmer reportedly expected to resign on Monday as growing numbers of MPs back Andy Burnham for PMKyle said Labour should not descend into infighting in the way that the Conservatives did whenever they faced a “moment of political challenge”. The Tories were readily defeated at the 2024 election by Starmer after churning through five prime ministers in seven years, including three during 2022.When asked if he thinks it is in the country’s interest for Keir Starmer to go, Peter Kyle tellingly dodged the question and said it was imperative for the government to continue to function despite the political turbulence. He told Sky News: