Sir Keir Starmer is increasingly expected to announce that he will set out a timetable for his departure on Monday as pressure builds for him to resign. Sir Keir is said to be spending the weekend discussing the matter with his family and considering his future at Chequers before making a final decision. But he has reportedly reached the conclusion that he cannot continue as Labour leader. On Sunday afternoon, US president Donald Trump weighed in on the prime minister’s potential exit from Downing Street, claiming that “he will resign” after failing on immigration and energy.Earlier, Sir Keir issued a Father’s Day message in his first words to the public since over 100 MPs called for his resignation. “Being a dad is my greatest joy,” he wrote in a post on social media along with a picture of himself with his late father. “Today, I’m thinking about my dad, and the father I am to my children because of him. Happy Father’s Day.”Sir Keir faces a “hard deadline” of Tuesday morning’s cabinet meeting to step down, insiders told The Independent’s David Maddox. Former PM Rishi Sunak warns Burnham he must have 'clear plan' of action within hours of arriving in No 10Former prime minister Rishi Sunak has warned Andy Burnham that he could see his support drain away if he takes the highest office. Writing in a column for The Times, the former Tory leader warned that all leaders across Europe are facing pressure to deliver faster than ever. He said: “Political capital depreciates more quickly than ever before. That Starmer and Merz are both facing such leadership speculation less than two years after winning elections is an illustration of that. “Burnham must recognise that if he reaches No 10, he’ll never have more power than on his first day in the job. It is vital he has a clear and achievable plan for what he wants to do in those opening hours.”Former prime minister Rishi Sunak (PA Archive)Holly Bancroft21 June 2026 20:03Analysis: Labour MPs invite to photocall with Burnham feels like a coronationIt is fair to say that when Labour wins a by-election there is usually a photo call invite to Labour MPs when the winner arrives in parliament, writes Political Editor David Maddox. But this one has been received differently. An invitation for the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) office has gone out for a photo call with Andy Burnham at 3pm in Westminster Hall on Monday.With an expectation that prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is working up a deal to hand over the leadership of the party and his job as PM over to Mr Burnham the invitation is already being described as "a coronation."Normally most MPs do not make it to these photo calls but this one is expected to have almost everyone present. The 3pm timing is conveniently after the morning time that the prime minister is expected to make his fateful announcement at the podium in Downing Street that he is to relinquish power.The only issue now maybe is if enough MPs back an alternative candidate to run against Mr Burnham in a contest. Otherwise the photo call may as well be a coronation.(Independent )David Maddox21 June 2026 19:32Waiting till September for Starmer to resign will mean 'Burnham premiership will be defined by Starmer's decisions'Concerns are growing around suggestions that Sir Keir Starmer could wait until September to step down, despite reports that the prime minister could announce a timetable as early as Monday. One minister has told The Times that Andy Burnham’s premiership could be “defined by Starmer’s decisions” if the handover does not happen until the autumn. There are Nato and EU summits next month, where key decisions on defence spending, will need to be made, The Times’s Aubrey Allegretti writes. One MP said: “A summer of waiting is stupid and incredibly self-indulgent”. Starmer is reportedly mulling whether to step down as PM (Reuters)Holly Bancroft21 June 2026 19:07PM 'hasn't yet made decision to quit' - reportsSir Keir Starmer has “genuinely not made a decision to quit” yet, according to ITV’s Political Editor Robert Peston. He has spoken to a cabinet minister today who says that the prime minister hasn’t made a decision either way. Writing in a post on X, Robert Peston said: “The minister says that if Keir Starmer’s wife Vic were to encourage him to fight on, he might just do that - though the minister assumes there is a low probability of such an outcome.“All this says to me that my Friday judgement still holds, that the uncertainty could drag on to Tuesday, though presumably not longer.”Holly Bancroft21 June 2026 18:27Reform refuses to appear on Sunday shows after Makerfield loss as Farage ally admits party has ‘a woman problem’The intervention from party board member and former director of communications Gawain Towler comes after Reform lost Makerfield with a candidate who was criticised for his crude social media remarks about women and proudly proclaimed himself to be a “sexist”.But with an autopsy into the defeat already underway, Reform also turned down invitations to appear on the Sunday morning politics shows, even avoiding its preferred channel GB News.There are also claims that pressure is being put on Mr Farage to reduce the role or sideline home affairs Zia Yusuf, whose “mass deportation” rhetoric is believed to be putting middle ground voters. Mr Yusuf has also become a hate figure for more rightwing voters who have turned to Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain.Read more from David Maddox’s piece here: Holly Bancroft21 June 2026 17:56Changing PM without election 'norm not the exception' - Labour MPJosh Fenton-Glynn, Labour MP for Calder Valley, has said that removing a prime minister without a general election is “the norm not the exception”. Mr Fenton-Glynn was responding to comments by Home Office minister Mike Tapp that there should a new law forcing a general election if a party forces out its leader. Mr Tapp proposed the changes to “stop the constant churn and focus all politicians on delivery, instead of work place politics”. Mr Fenton-Glynn replied, saying: “Mike Tapp appears surprised that we are in a parliamentary democracy! The last two prime ministers to win an election then lose their job at the next election were Major and Wilson - course correction mid term in response to the public is the norm not the exception”. Holly Bancroft21 June 2026 17:17Home Office minister retweets post on Starmer feeling 'betrayed'Home Office minister Mike Tapp has retweeted a post alluding to Sir Keir Starmer’s feeling of betrayal after over 100 MPs called for his resignation after Andy Burnham’s election win in Makerfield.The post says that a Labour source says the prime minister feels “betrayed”, according to the Politics UK account.“He gave everything to Labour, including sacrificing much of his children’s teenage years to help make the party electable,” said the source. “He feels deeply betrayed, especially by those he believed were loyal to him.”Maira Butt21 June 2026 16:30'I'm seeing a lot of speculation out' - Peter KyleBusiness secretary Peter Kyle told broadcasters on Sunday he had not spoken to the prime minister since Friday, when he had a “frank conversation” with him.Asked about reports Sir Keir Starmer is planning to announce his resignation as soon as the coming week, he told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “I have nothing to believe that they are true. I’m seeing a lot of speculation out there.“The only thing I can say with fact is that the Prime Minister is hard at work, as he is every day.“He is one of the most hardworking people I’ve ever come across, and today, as in every other day I’ve ever known Keir, he is out there working hard.“At the same time he is also trying to create the space where he can think and reflect on the political realities and challenges, and the opportunities, that lie before us.”Business Secretary Peter Kyle (AFP/Getty)Alex Ross21 June 2026 16:28Labour minister calls for law change to stop 'constant churn' of prime ministersHome office minister Mike Tapp has called for a law change to prevent a “constant churn” of prime ministers. “Is it time to legislate; if a change of leader is forced by its own Party then a General Election must be called,” he wrote in a post on X on Sunday.“That would stop the constant churn and focus all politicians on delivery, instead of work place politics.“These endless ‘house of cards’ games would end and the country would benefit. Let’s legislate to focus minds.”If Starmer is replaced the UK would be moving on to its seventh prime minister in a decade. Maira Butt21 June 2026 16:10Full story: Trump says Starmer will resign after ‘failing badly on immigration and energy’US president Donald Trump has said that Sir Keir Starmer “will resign” as prime minister, accusing him of “failing badly” on immigration and energy.Writing on social media platform Truth Social on Sunday, Mr Trump said: “Keir Starmer will resign as prime minister of the United Kingdom. He failed badly on two very important subjects - immigration and energy (Open North Sea oil!). I wish him well! President DJT”.The post is thought to be based on media reports as the two have not spoken this weekend.Maira Butt21 June 2026 15:46