Awkward! Keir Starmer says he is ‘very pleased’ Andy Burnham is back in the Commons and about to take his job… as allies tout outgoing PM as next UN chief

Keir Starmer insisted he was “delighted” to have Andy Burnham back in the House of Commons today after facing humiliating PMQs.

The Prime Minister finally tried to put a brave face on his situation after announcing his departure in an emotional speech on Monday.

Mr Burnham is expected to take over within weeks, with Labor flocking to show their support.

Sir Keir, who refrained from making a statement to the House of Commons at the G7 summit, was questioned for the first time following his death.

Kemi Badenoch mocked the prime minister for being surrounded by ‘traitors and deserters’.

When Sir Keir – flanked by a grumpy Rachel Reeves – tried to talk up his achievements, the Conservative Party leader fired back: ‘If it’s all so fantastic why is he resigning?’

Taking shots at the Chancellor, Ms Badenoch said: ‘The Prime Minister didn’t even bother to go up to Downing Street to make his resignation speech.

‘Then he came over to take a selfie with Andy Burnham.’

The Conservative leader also took aim at Ed Miliband, who many claim would be Mr Burnham’s Chancellor.

‘He was a failed Labor leader, rejected by voters, brought back from the wilderness… and when the going got tough he jumped into bed with the Mayor of Manchester,’ he said.

Ms Badenoch viciously attacked Mr Miliband when he ran for leadership against his own brother in 2010: ‘This isn’t the first time he’s betrayed someone close to him, is it?’

Mr Burnham was not in the room for the talks.

In other developments today:

• Ms Badenoch clashed with Bridget Phillipson and Liz Kendall after her barbs in the House of Commons;
• Blairite former Cabinet minister James Purnell is lined up for the critical job as Mr Burnham’s private secretary;
• Mr Burnham is said to be planning to move part of the No10 operation to Manchester, but it is unclear how the arrangements will work in practice;
• Mr Burnham’s advisers have previously called for the state pension triple lock to be removed.

The Prime Minister finally announced his departure on Monday as Labor MPs flocked to rival Andy Burnham (pictured) – he is now expected to take over within weeks

Labor sources believe Sir Keir has little chance of staying in Parliament long after leaving Downing Street.

David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Tony Blair stood down shortly after losing power, but Rishi Sunak, Theresa May and Gordon Brown chose to stay.

As a former Director of Public Prosecutions, he could return to the bar. But human rights lawyers at his previous base, Doughty Street Chambers, are said to have been outraged by a speech warning that Britain risked becoming a ‘stranger island’ – although he later tried to walk back the comment.

The government’s push to block jury trials also worked badly for his former colleagues.

‘Even if Keir Starmer wanted to return, there is absolutely zero chance he would be welcomed. A source told The Times: There is a lot of anger about the jury’s policy and the comments from outsiders.

A lawyer close to Sir Keir suggested he ‘could be recruited for a major international role, possibly even UN secretary-general’.

The current owner of the business, former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres, is expected to retire by the end of this year. He is currently in England for a climate conference.

A source told the newspaper that Sir Keir was seen as ‘a thoughtful and hard-working pair of safe hands who are incredibly well regarded around the world’.

‘An international role will not require showing off in domestic politics. “And everyone on the global stage thinks he’s a great politician,” they added.

A Government source pointed out that no leader of a state with a permanent security council is a UN Secretary-General.

No 10 has ruled out the draw on whether the prime minister will trigger a by-election.

But one Labor veteran joked Sir Keir would be a perfect candidate for the UN. ‘Completely ineffective? Mark.’

Sir Keir is struggling to maintain a modicum of control over the Government, although he is currently prevented from announcing any radical new policies.

The Prime Minister is desperate to finalize his long-awaited Defense Investment Plan before heading to the NATO summit on July 7, where he will meet Donald Trump.

But Mr Burnham’s team is adamant that decisions on defense spending should wait until he takes over, possibly on July 17.

It has emerged that Mr Burnham appointed a former Blairite cabinet minister as his chief of staff as he prepared for No 10.

James Purnell left the Gordon Brown Government in 2009 and later became a senior executive at the BBC.

He and Mr Burnham were contemporaries during the New Labor era, sharing a flat and playing together on the ‘Demon Eyes’ football team.

This appointment raises new mysteries about the progress of Mr Burnham’s ‘Manchesterism’ project.

Mr Purnell was always seen as being on the moderate wing of the party, and Mr Brown resigned from the party because he was not willing to cut benefits.

Ed Miliband’s allies played down the idea that this was a setback for his hopes of becoming Chancellor.

A Labor aide raised concerns about how ‘due diligence’ was done because he was under Peter Mandelson’s aegis.

Another noted that Mr Purnell had not been in politics for more than a decade and it might be difficult to ‘get back into his rhythm’.

Keir Starmer is preparing for a humiliating PMQ today amid rumors he could run for the next United Nations presidency (pictured in New York in 2024)

The current UN Chief, former Prime Minister of Portugal António Guterres, is expected to retire by the end of this year. He is currently in England for a climate conference