Topic analysis

Minister says Starmer is ‘listening’ but refuses to say if PM will stay on ahead of critical cabinet meeting – UK politics live

Darren Jones , the chief secretary to the PM, is the minister doing the broadcast interview round this morning. Yesterday Peter Kyle, the business secretary, was the government spokesperson speaking in this slot. He was bullish in support of Keir Starmer . This morning Jones has been a lot more equivocal. On Times Radio, asked if Starmer was considering setting out a timetable for his departure, Jones said: double quotation mark He’s listening to colleagues and he’s talking to colleagues. I can’t get get ahead of any decision he might take. In an interview with Sky News, he took the same line. Asked by Sophy Ridge if he had spoken to the PM, Jones replied: double quotation mark I spoke to the prime minister last night, as you would expect, and he is talking to colleagues who have raised issues yesterday. But he was also very clear, as I’m sure all of my colleagues are, that coming into the office this morning, as we all are doing, we’re absolutely focussed on our jobs, on delivering the things that we’ve promised to deliver for the public. Jones was asked if he expected the PM to lead the party into the next election. Until today, cabinet ministers asked this question have almost always said yes. But today Jones replied: double quotation mark I’m not going to get ahead of any decision that the prime minister may or may not take. Asked if Starmer was considering setting out a timetable for his resignation, Jones said: double quotation mark Obviously colleagues are asking the prime minister to consider different options in the future. And, as I say, he rightfully is listening to them. It’d be wrong if he wasn’t listening to them. Jones also repeated his line about how he did not want to “get ahead of any decision the prime minister may or may not take in the future”. Ridge told Jones that she was surprised by the tone of his replies. She said, listening to him, that she felt it was “all coming to an end”. Jones did not accept that. But he accepted that he was “sad that we’re in this situation in the first place” and sad about the election results. Asked about reports that Shabana Mahmood , the home secretary, has asked Starmer to set out a timetable for his resignation, Jones said he would not discuss private conversations. But he stressed that politics was “a team sport”. Asked if he knew what Starmer had decided to do, Jones said he would not discuss private conversations. But he went on: double quotation mark [Starmer’s] got an important job to do as prime minister of our country … He’s got an important job as leader of the Labour party. and if the prime minister, decides to say anything further to his speech yesterday, I’m sure he’ll come and do that on on Sky news very shortly.