Starmer reflecting on political reality as he considers future, says ally

Sir Keir Starmer is reflecting on the "political realities" he now faces, a cabinet ally of the prime minister has said, in a sign he is contemplating stepping down.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC that any decision he makes "will always be about what's in the best interest of the country", while referencing the "chaos" of leadership challenges under the Tories.

Calls for the PM to set out an exit timetable have grown after Andy Burnham's decisive victory in the Makerfield by-election mean he can now challenge Sir Keir for the Labour leadership.

A growing number of figures in government believe the prime minister is preparing to set out plans for his departure as early as Monday.

In the immediate aftermath of Burnham's victory, Sir Keir continued to insist he would fight any formal leadership bid, in a process that would potentially take months to resolve.

But in a shift in tone, Kyle told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that the prime minister was "taking the time to think through what the political realties are today, compared to last week and the week before".

He said he had spoken to Sir Keir on Friday and was sure that "every decision he makes today" about Labour's future would reflect "what's in the best interests of the country".

"I don't want to come on here and be delusional that there is no process, there is no forces at work which are challenging the prime minister as leader," Kyle added.

While using a formal process to change leader was "better wherever possible", this needed to be balanced against the need to maintain the government's authority "through any processes that may unfold", he said.

The leadership election that led to Sir Keir being made Labour leader took six weeks. The potential for a similar timetable has raised concerns that key decisions could be delayed until a new PM is appointed or face being reversed, generating uncertainty.

Burnham was able to fend off a challenge from Reform UK and increase Labour's majority in Makerfield on Thursday, bucking a recent trend of electoral losses.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper have both urged him to set out an exit timetable, it us understood.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband had already done the same in the aftermath of devastating results for Labour in a series of elections last month.

Burnham, who is understood to be spending time with his family this weekend, is expected to travel to Westminster on Monday to formally take up his seat as an MP.

His allies urged the prime minister to reflect over the weekend and listen to his cabinet ministers, MPs and his family.

Labour MP Toby Perkins, who was a shadow minister in opposition, told Kuenssberg that he did not want Sir Keir to stand down, adding it would mean the country would have its "seventh prime minister in 10 years".

He said the prime minister "deserves a bit of time" and that he did not believe the government was "manifestly failing", noting it had lowered NHS waiting times, net migration and the asylum backlog.

But Jess Phillips, who was among four ministers to quit in the immediate aftermath of May's election results, told the programme "it feels like we've come to the end of the road".

She added that a "dignified" leadership transition, in which Sir Keir would exercise an element of control, seemed "like the very best solution".