Labour officials have confirmed their next steps in deciding a future leader in what could be a vote among thousands of party members, but everything depends on whether anyone emerges to run against the clear front-runner, Andy Burnham.
The party’s National Executive Committee said it would meet to draft the plans for the contest.
“Following the Prime Minister’s announcement today that he intends to resign as leader of the Labour Party, Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee, will shortly agree a timetable for the election of the next leader of the Labour Party,” it said in a statement.
Starmer made no statement on who should replace him. In any case, the choice of leader is not his decision – it is up to Labour MPs and party members. But if nobody else stands, the top job will go to Burnham by default.