Monday briefing: What’s next for no-drama Starmer as his ‘political challenges’ pile up?

Keir Starmer is expected to announce on Monday that we will step down as UK prime minister. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Keir Starmer is expected to announce on Monday that we will step down as UK prime minister. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images Monday briefing: What’s next for no-drama Starmer as his ‘political challenges’ pile up? In today’s newsletter: Our senior political correspondent talks about how the coming days and weeks may unfold for the Labour government, and how Keir Starmer ended up the most unpopular prime minister in memory Don’t get First Edition delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Good morning. Today’s the day, probably. Keir Starmer is expected to announce that he will step down as prime minister, after overwhelming pressure from Labour MPs to make way for Andy Burnham to become party leader. This follows the Manchester mayor’s emphatic victory in last Thursday’s Makerfield byelection , where he leveraged his popularity and the prevailing anti-Starmer mood to secure more votes than Reform and Restore combined, cementing his credentials as the man who can take on the hard right in the next general election. I spoke to senior political correspondent, Peter Walker , about how the coming days and weeks may unfold for the Labour government, and pondered how “no-drama Starmer” ended up the most unpopular prime minister in memory (and lord knows, we’ve had plenty of them). Weekend roundup Middle East | High-stakes talks between the US and Iran are expected to continue for the rest of the week in Switzerland, after a tense start that saw Iranian negotiators walk out in protest at a stream of threats issued by Donald Trump on social media. Edinburgh | Police Scotland said a man was charged after a series of attacks in Edinburgh on Friday night that are being treated as potential anti-Muslim hate crimes. Counter-terrorism officers were brought in to investigate the attacks in which five people were injured. UK weather | The Met Office forecasts that extremely high temperatures could last from Monday until Thursday, leading to health concerns for elderly and vulnerable people. UK news | Police have named the driver killed in the Bedford train crash on Friday, as his family said they “are devastated by his loss”. Prisons | Pet ferrets kept as therapy animals at the UK’s largest children’s prison have been co-opted by managers to kill rats , resulting in a bloody incident and concerns over child and animal welfare. In depth: ‘No 10 has to reach a decision very quickly’ View image in fullscreen Sir Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham at a Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal in 2024. Photograph: Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images Yesterday morning, Peter wrote an article predicting Starmer would set out his timetable for leaving office later today. It was based on an interview that the business secretary, Peter Kyle, gave to the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, and was informed by dozens of