𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Sir Keir Starmer declared “I’m not going to go away” as he vowed to cling on to power despite the latest crisis englufing his government. And Sir Keir issued a challenge to Andy Burnham or any other contender hoping to replace him as Prime Minister, by insisting he would stand and fight in any Labour leadership election.

Sir Keir spoke to the BBC after his government was plunged into yet another crisis by the resignations of ex-Defence Secretary John Healey, and former defence minister Al Carns. It followed a row over defence spending, with Mr Healey delivering a damning warning that the Government was failing in its duty to keep the nation safe. But Sir Keir told the BBC: “I’m not going to go away. I don’t think we should plunge the country into the chaos of a leadership election.”

Labour Party rules will allow Sir Keir to stand as a candidate if any leadership election is called while he is Prime Minister. And he said: “I don’t think it should happen, but if it does then I will fight.

“And let me just be clear with out. That’s not about personal vanity, it’s not about stubbornness. It’s out of a very deep sense of duty.

“I was elected to serve this country. Notwithstanding the difficult circumstances, that is what I am doing.

“And in the last few weeks, others have made their own case. I’ve been concentrating on the job I was elected to do, which is to deliver for this country.

“This is about a sense of service and duty. It is not vanity, it is not stubbornness.”

While it would still be possible for Sir Keir to back down if a leadership election really does take place, his words were designed to send a clear signal to challengers such as Mr Burnham, who hopes to become an MP in the Makerfield by-election next week, that there will be no “coronation” to crown a new leader without a painful and divisive battle.

But Sir Keir admitted he needed to “turn things around”, as he insisted he wanted to lead Labour into the next election.

Asked if he would lead the party into the next general election, he told the BBC: “I’ve always been clear that that’s what I want to do.

“But look, I recognise that given where we are, I need to turn that around and that’s what I intend to do.”

Defence will be “a number one priority” at the next spending review, Sir Keir Starmer said.

Asked about John Healey’s criticism of defence funding, the Prime Minister told the BBC: “We have another spending review coming up and before the end of this Parliament, and defence will be a number one priority in that space.”

He also denied this was a promise of “jam tomorrow”, saying: “It’s very important that when I make commitments on something as important as defence that I’m able to point to what the funding is.”

He added: “I’ve tackled it head on and I have taken the decision to reallocate from other departments. That’s not easy.”