Cabinet ministers tell Starmer to pack his bags

Following Andy Burnham’s win in the Makerfield by-election, Keir Starmer was quick to congratulate Britain’s newest MP. Later in the day, he would beg Burnham not to run against him in a leadership challenge. Now, it looks like Starmer’s days are numbered, because his Cabinet is revolting:

🚨 BREAKING: Shabana Mahmood and Ed Miliband have told Keir Starmer to set out a timeline for his departure

Other Cabinet Ministers will follow suit this afternoon

[@thetimes]

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 19, 2026

Taxi for Starmer!

As noted, Starmer basically begged Burnham not to run against him. According to Starmer, a leadership contest would ‘tear the party apart’. The problem is that Starmer assumed anyone would stand behind him, which doesn’t seem likely at this point.

Here’s what Labour’s polling has looked like under Starmer:

Now here’s what Andy Burnham just pulled off in Makerfield:

🚨 BREAKING: Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield by-election

🔴 LAB: 24,937 (+6,725) – 54.8%
➡️ REF: 15,696 (+2,893) – 34.5%
🟣 RES: 3,111 (NEW) – 6.8%
🔵 CON: 997 (-3,382) – 2.2%
🟢 GRN: 308 (-1,468) – 0.7%
🔶 LD: 163 (-2,572) – 0.4%

Changes w/ 2024
58.75% turnout

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 19, 2026

Spot the difference?

Starmer also said:

We are the true patriots… We should relish the opportunity to take the fight to Reform and give them a hiding in Manchester [Mayoralty election]

It seems that Labour politicians do want to fight Reform; they just think they’ll do a better job of that by unshackling themselves from the dead weight that is Keir Starmer.

As noted above, Shabana Mahmood (home secretary) and Ed Miliband (energy secretary) told Starmer to pack his bags. According to the Times, more have already said the same, and more will do so later today. And this comes after Starmer already lost his defence ministers and Wes Streeting (health secretary).

Will anyone stand behind Starmer?

While it’s true the man has loyalists, how loyal can they be? Starmer doesn’t have a political project, so the only thing they can be loyal to is his ability to grant them power. Now that Keir has no grip on power, there’s no reason to stand besides him; not when they could suck up to Burnham instead.

Saying that, there’s always one:

Steve Reed refuses to acknowledge that there's going to be a leadership election.

Sophy Ridge: "It feels a little bit like you're in denial.." pic.twitter.com/f8E7Eh70Qk

— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) June 19, 2026

And sometimes two:

Mike Tapp: ".. if that agenda is too far from the manifesto its really difficult not to call a general election"

Like scrapping the Winter Fuel Allowance, slashing welfare, digital IDs, banning Palestine Action, stuff like that you mean? pic.twitter.com/s9M8g4OHP9

— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) June 19, 2026

Oh, and whoever this was:

Starmer's supporters hit back:

One MP says: “All Burnham has shown is that he can beat a man who wouldn’t look out of place in a village Idiot competition. Some of us have not forgotten how he lost to Ed Miliband and then Jeremy Corbyn before abandoning us in Westminster…

— Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) June 19, 2026

Unpleasant bunch, aren’t they?

Centurions

It’s not just Cabinet ministers anyway, as Steven Swinford of the Times reported:

100 Labour MPs have now come out and called for Sir Keir Starmer to set out a timeline for his departure***

That’s equivalent to just under one in four Labour MPs

Five more have come out today, we’re expecting the tally to surge over the weekend

Jo White of the Labour’s Red Wall Group, meanwhile, said this:

This by-election result highlights the country’s demand for a new direction and hope

There must now be an orderly change of leadership for the good of our country and the Labour Party. Andy Burnham has proved he can deliver the change we need, and that is why I am backing him

Knowing how stubborn Keir is, this Red Wall MP might as well have been talking to a brick wall.

Keir we go again

Starmer secured the Labour leadership on the back of 10 left-leaning pledges that could have done this country a lot of good if he hadn’t abandoned them:

Forgive us if we don't trust Keir Starmer.

Do you? pic.twitter.com/0XuPquukcz

— The Green Party (@TheGreenParty) April 17, 2026

The man is a fraud, in other words, and we won’t miss him when he’s gone.

The question is this: will he leave before he embarrasses himself, or will he subject himself to a bruising leadership race that shatters what’s left of his ego?

While part of us hopes for the latter, the man has honestly wasted enough of this country’s time already.

Featured image via the Canary