London (United Kingdom), 19 June (LaPresse/AP) – The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has reiterated that he will not back down and has announced that he will stand in the Labour leadership election should one be called. His comments come after Andy Burnham, the current mayor of Manchester, won the by-election for the parliamentary seat of Makerfield in north-west England – a victory that puts him in a position to challenge Starmer for the party leadership. The British parliamentary system allows governing parties to change their leader mid-term; the winner becomes Prime Minister without the need to call a general election. Under Labour Party rules, an MP may challenge the leader if they have the support of one-fifth of the party’s MPs in the House of Commons, a figure that currently stands at 81.
United Kingdom, Starmer: “I won’t back down; if there’s a Labour leadership election, I’ll stand”
London (United Kingdom), 19 June (LaPresse/AP) – The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has reiterated that he will not back down and has announced that he will stand in the Labour leadership election should one be called. His comments come after Andy Burnham, the current mayor of Manchester, won the by-election for the parliamentary seat of Makerfield in north-west England – a victory that puts him in a position to challenge Starmer for the party leadership. The British parliamentary system allows governing parties to change their leader mid-term; the winner becomes Prime Minister without the need to call a general election. Under Labour Party rules, an MP may challenge the leader if they have the support of one-fifth of the party’s MPs in the House of Commons, a figure that currently stands at 81.
