Keir Starmer braced for wave of resignations as confident Andy Burnham readies top team 

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to face a wave of ministerial resignations following the Makerfield byelection results next week; Andy Burnham is now the favorite to win the seat and launch the leadership challenge.

The mayor of Greater Manchester is understood to be already organizing the Downing Street operation and is scouting candidates to join his senior team, including cabinet roles, with the expectation he will become leader and prime minister once he returns to parliament.

Independent He understands that internal polling and data collection by the Labor campaign team in the north-west constituency suggests Mr Burnham will “win easily and actually embarrass Reform England”, putting him in a strong position to immediately challenge the prime minister on his return to the House of Commons.

A number of government ministers are understood to be expected to resign following next Friday’s by-election results; just like the situation Boris Johnson experienced in the final days of his prime ministership, which eventually forced him to resign.

Sir Keir has insisted he intends to enter any leadership contest, but a number of resignations would make that very difficult and possibly force him to consider his position.

This follows the dramatic back-to-back resignations on Thursday of defense secretary John Healey and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns over military spending.

Mr Healey’s resignation – which made him the fourth cabinet minister to leave Sir Keir’s government since Labor came to power – dealt a further blow to the Prime Minister’s fragile authority, with the former defense secretary accusing him of being “unwilling to commit the resources” needed to keep Britain safe.

A Labor source said: “Ministers’ resignation is how the Conservatives get rid of Boris, it should work for us too.”

Another source noted: “The data shows the biggest reason people voted for Andy was to get rid of Starmer.”

Details of Mr Burnham’s preparations for No 10 include an overhaul of communications in Downing Street, identified as one of Sir Keir’s biggest weaknesses.

“It needs a complete rethink. They need to clean house but they also need to figure out how to do things differently than before,” a source said.

He is also beginning to set out roles in the cabinet, with Louise Haigh and deputy leader Lucy Powell among those expected to be included.

Deputy prime minister David Lammy and chief whip Jonathan Reynolds are understood to be on the list of ministers likely to be sacked by Mr Burnham, who has publicly vowed to end the sacking of rebel MP Karl Turner, who has been a vocal critic of Mr Lammy’s reforms to jury trials.

Mr Reynolds, meanwhile, is seen by Burnham’s allies as a key figure in attempts to block her return to parliament, where she has been blocked from standing as a candidate in the Gorton and Denton byelections in particular.

But other ministers and ambitious MPs are being encouraged behind the scenes by Ms Powell, who is said to be “acting like a longing aunt”. Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner is also trying to “calm nerves” over Burnham’s leadership.

Independent It emerged on Thursday night that Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper, who said she should go to the Prime Minister along with Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood, is now on resignation watch.

But now many more, at different levels of government, want to go.

But it is clear that no one is expected to resign before the Makerfield results are released in the early hours of Friday morning.

Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson, a supporter of Mr Burnham, said: “It’s not looking good for Starmer, everyone is waiting until next week, he just needs to stand down.”

Another Labor MP said: “Nothing will happen until Thursday but then maybe there will be more pressure on the Prime Minister to come up with a timetable.”

A third said: “It’s the end of days for Starmer. We’re just counting down.”

But one of Mr Burnham’s allies was unimpressed with the resignation plans to force Starmer to resign.

The MP said: “Those who don’t jump will probably want to keep their wages and bonuses until the autumn. They have no other dignity so why jump? It’s possible a few people will chase the outcome like rats on a sinking ship to curry favor with Burnham.”

John McTernan, a former adviser to Tony Blair, told Sky News that Mr Healey’s resignation “shows how little power Keir Starmer has”.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats are preparing to make a low-key speech in parliament to maximize the government’s embarrassment by forcing the release of cables relating to the much-delayed Defense Improvement Plan (Dip) that led to the resignations of Mr Healey and Mr Carns.

Former security minister Dan Jarvis made his first appearance as defense minister in Swindon but did not take questions from the media and spoke behind closed doors.