In the initial aftermath, he had vowed to stand and fight in any leadership contest, stating: “I’m not going to walk away from that.”
But intense speculation over Starmer’s political future mounted over the weekend, with reports suggesting he was set to step down.
On BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Business Secretary Peter Kyle strayed from Starmer’s vow to stay on and fight. Instead, he said the Labour leader was taking time to “try and reflect on the political challenges that he faces.”
Starmer was “taking the time to think through what the political realities are today, compared to last week, the week before,” said Kyle, insisting that the Labour leader would frame his decision based on what’s in the “best interests of the country.”
Kyle acknowledged there was “political uncertainty” and lessons for Labour to learn.
“The reality right now is that there is process under way, there are people who seek to challenge Keir,” he added.