David Lammy has pledged his full support for Sir Keir Starmer in any potential leadership challenge, describing the Prime Minister as “the most resilient person I have ever met in my life” and insisting he must be allowed to “serve out his mandate” from the 2024 general election.
The Deputy Prime Minister, who co-chaired Starmer’s campaign to become Labour leader, told Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that he would back the PM in any contest. His unequivocal endorsement comes as speculation over Starmer’s future intensifies following disastrous local and devolved election results for Labour last month, which some analysts have described as the party’s worst in 50 years.
Lammy’s choice of language is significant. By repeatedly stressing Starmer’s resilience, he is seeking to frame the Prime Minister not as a leader on the defensive but as someone capable of withstanding internal party pressure while navigating what Starmer himself has called “the most dangerous and volatile world in our lifetimes”. Lammy, who also serves as Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, has previously suggested that those calling for Starmer to step down should be prepared to name a better candidate. His own history on leadership contests is telling: in January 2020, Lammy ruled himself out of the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn, saying he was “not the individual best placed for this role at this time” and that the party needed a candidate who could unite its factions. By throwing his weight behind Starmer now, Lammy is positioning himself as a figure of stability within a Cabinet facing mounting uncertainty.
Burnham’s ambition and the Makerfield by-election
The most immediate threat to Starmer’s position comes from Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, who has confirmed his intention to run for the Labour leadership should a contest be triggered. Burnham, sometimes referred to as “King of the North”, made the announcement during a BBC Question Time special in the Makerfield constituency, where he is standing as Labour’s candidate in a by-election scheduled for 18 June 2026.
Burnham has framed a vote for him in Makerfield as a vote to “change Labour” and pursue national leadership, arguing that a “fundamental change” is needed in Westminster to restore public trust. The by-election itself is unusual: it was triggered by the resignation of the sitting Labour MP Josh Simons specifically to provide a seat for Burnham, who is not currently an MP. This is the first time a by-election has been engineered for that purpose since 1965. Burnham’s path to Westminster has not been straightforward — his candidacy in the Gorton and Denton by-election earlier this year was blocked by the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee.
Burnham has previously stood for the Labour leadership twice — in 2010 and 2015 — without success. If elected to Parliament in Makerfield, he would be required to step down as Mayor of Greater Manchester, a role he has held since May 2017, triggering a mayoral by-election. Lammy, while vowing to back Starmer, said he would continue campaigning for Burnham in the Makerfield race, adding: “Andy Burnham doesn’t need advice from me. We speak pretty regularly.” He declined to urge the mayor to focus on his current job and avoid a contest.
Starmer’s broader context: a landslide mandate under pressure
Starmer led Labour to a landslide victory in the 2024 general election, securing 411 seats and a 174-seat majority — Labour’s third-best result in terms of seat share. Yet the party’s vote share was the lowest of any governing party on record, a weakness that has been exploited by Reform UK, which made significant gains in pro-Brexit heartlands during the May 2026 local elections.
Despite the pressure, Starmer has told supporters he will “fight” in any leadership contest, hardening his position since Burnham made his ambitions clear. He warned LBC on Friday against “plunging into an internal fight” while global conflicts rage, saying: “We live in the most dangerous and volatile world in our lifetimes and that’s why I sincerely and profoundly believe that we should be getting on with the job that we were elected to do in 2024.”
Under Labour’s rules, a leadership challenge requires a challenger to be nominated by at least 20% of Labour MPs — currently 81 MPs. Leadership elections are then decided by a “one-person-one-vote” system that includes affiliated trade union supporters and party members. Beyond Burnham, former Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also been mentioned as a potential contender, though there is a reluctance among possible challengers to be the first to move against Starmer. Some Labour MPs have described the period since the local election losses as a “phony war” over the leadership.
Lammy’s description of Starmer as “the most resilient person I have ever met in my life” is therefore a deliberate counter to that narrative — an attempt to project strength and continuity at a moment when the party’s internal divisions are threatening to break into the open. The Makerfield by-election on 18 June will be the first real test of whether that message holds.
