Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy says Sir Keir Starmer will still be the prime minister when the summer holidays begin, despite what she calls "feverish speculation" about a leadership challenge.
Speaking to Sky News, the culture secretary says: "I've spoken to the prime minister several times over the last week, and he was very clear with the cabinet on Tuesday that if people want to challenge him, there is a process for doing that.
"There is a way to trigger a leadership contest, to be leader of the Labour Party and to succeed him as prime minister. Nobody has done that yet.
"Despite the absolute feverish speculation every hour on the hour for the last week - I've read that Wes Streeting was about to launch a challenge, that Andy Burnham was about to contest every seat in Greater Manchester, including my own, that Angela Rayner was written off, that Angela Rayner was now challenging. - and most of it has turned out to be just froth and nonsense.
"We've got to get on with the job. We promised people that would bring change to their lives, and we've got to take that fight out to the country and show that we can do it."
Asked whether the PM might think he should call it a day, Nandy replies: "I believe that we've got to pull together, we've got to move forwards.
"And the prime minister, of course, has to make his own decision about whether he wants to take that next fight forwards. And ultimately whether he does that will be up to him. It will be up to Labour MPs and it will be up to the people of this country."
But she adds that constantly changing leader "is one of the ways in which this country was allowed to get into the state that it did".
"When you have this kind of introspection, what ends up happening is that things just stop moving in government, and we cannot allow that to happen."
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12:48
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told close friends that he does intend to step down as prime minister and set out his departure timetable, Daily Mail reports.
"He realises the current chaos is unsustainable. He simply wants to be able to do it in a dignified way and in a manner of his own choosing. He will set out a timetable," said the article’s author, citing a government member.
According to another source, it is still unclear when exactly the announcement will be made. Meanwhile, some of Starmer’s senior allies are urging him to hold off on any statements until the first polling results and vote count data from the by‑election in Makerfield are available.
"Morgan McSweeney [the PM's former chief of staff] has been urging him to hang on. He's arguing if they show a tight contest or that Andy is on course to lose, then there is still a chance," one minister said.
But one of Starmer’s supporters said he is not going to take risks by waiting for the by‑election results.
