Sir Keir Starmer has broken his silence amid claims he will resign on Monday, issuing a Father's Day message on social media. The under-pressure Prime Minister said he is "thinking about my dad" today, as he shared a photo of himself graduating with his father.
Starmer's Father's Day Message
Commenting for the first time today, Starmer said: "Being a dad is my greatest joy. Today, I'm thinking about my dad, and the father I am to my children because of him. Happy Father's Day." The Labour Party government leader is currently at his countryside retreat in Chequers with his family.
Reports of Imminent Resignation
The Observer has reported that Starmer may be considering resigning as soon as tomorrow, with an announcement to the nation expected on Monday. This comes amid mounting pressure on the Prime Minister from within his own party.
Political Reactions
Sir Mel Stride, shadow chancellor for the Conservatives, commented on the difficulties facing the Prime Minister during an interview on Sky News. Referring to comments by Peter Kyle, Stride said: "It sounds like it means what a lot of Keir Starmer's colleagues are doing, which is to basically tell him that his time is up."
Stride added: "The only reason why you should get into a position of changing a leader is if you think that will fundamentally change something to the benefit of the country. On the first point about fundamentally changing anything, it won't, because the problem that Labour has is that they are addicted to debt, borrowing, taxing, destroying businesses and so on, and with a backbench Labour Party in Parliament that's not prepared to take the tough decision."
The Conservative MP concluded: "That will not change by a change of leadership." Mr Kyle, a Labour figure, urged the party not to descend into infighting in the way the Conservatives did whenever they faced a "moment of political challenge".
