Jun 23, 2026 – 6.53amLondon | Britain’s prime minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham is resisting demands to call an early general election as the field quickly cleared for him to replace Keir Starmer unopposed within weeks.Markets reacted positively to the likelihood that the Labour Party would avoid a months-long leadership contest after an emotional Starmer resigned on Monday from outside Number 10 after two years as prime minister.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles