SIR Keir Starmer was yesterday left looking like a political lame duck after a Cabinet minister suggested he may quit rather than fight a Labour leadership bloodbath.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy admitted it would be a “personal decision” whether the PM carries on if a contest is triggered.
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Keir Starmer was left looking like a political lame duck after a Cabinet minister suggested he may quit rather than fight a Labour leadership bloodbath Credit: PA
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy admitted it would be a ‘personal decision’ whether the PM carries on if a contest is triggered Credit: Alamy
Her comments are the clearest sign yet senior Labour figures now believe Sir Keir could walk rather than battle to stay in No10.
Nearly 100 Labour MPs have called for the PM to go or demanded a timetable for his departure.
But the crisis has now shifted from whether he faces a challenge to whether he even wants the fight.
Ms Nandy said Sir Keir had previously shown he was “up for a fight” but repeatedly stressed staying on was ultimately his choice.
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She told the BBC: “It’s a very personal decision for him.
“I haven’t spoken to him this weekend, but I’ve spoken to him several times over the last week, and obviously he’s shown before that he’s up for a fight.”
Ms Nandy pointed to Sir Keir’s victory in the 2020 Labour leadership election, and his success in the 2024 general election, adding: “So I wouldn’t write off the Prime Minister, but I would just say that this is a very personal decision.
“He’s got to make that decision himself.” Her remarks came as rivals circle for the top job.
Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting reignited Labour’s Brexit wars by calling leaving the EU a “catastrophic mistake” and saying Britain should one day rejoin the bloc.
Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is preparing for a potential return to Parliament through the Makerfield by-election after Labour MP Josh Simons agreed to step aside.
Ms Nandy, who a close ally to Mr Burnham, praised his focus on the cost of living while taking a swipe at Mr Streeting’s Brexit intervention.
Downing Street insisted Sir Keir would still fight any leadership challenge and pointed to the fact nothing had yet been triggered.
A Labour contest is initiated only if 20 per cent of the party back a specific candidate to stand against the leader, which right now equates to 81 MPs.
