KEIR Starmer announced his decision to resign as Prime Minister on Monday morning, setting out a timetable for his departure, but as he is still in his post, will he be facing Prime Minister's Questions today?
PMQs is held every Wednesday while the Parliament is sitting, with Keir Starmer appearing at the Despatch Box to face scrutiny from the opposition.
Occasionally, another member of his cabinet, most frequently Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, may take the session while Starmer is attending to important political business, such as a foreign diplomatic trip.
It is, however, expected that Starmer will attend today's PMQs in the House of Commons, marking his first public appearance since his resignation announcement outside Number 10 Downing Street.
He is likely to face questions about the scope of what his Government can now achieve in his final weeks in office, after Downing Street said no “major” new policy decisions or spending pledges would be made before a new Labour leader is chosen.
Andy Burnham, Starmer's likely successor, has been offered Government briefings to prepare for power after Civil Service access talks were authorised by the Prime Minister.
The pair met on Tuesday, the first time since Burnham’s Westminster return, in a face-to-face meeting that took place away from No 10 and was reportedly “frosty”, according to the Guardian.
Burnham, who recently won his seat in Westminster through the Makerfield by-election, is the front runner to replace Starmer, bolstered by the backing down and endorsement of former health secretary Wes Streeting.
Al Carns, the former armed forces minister, remains adamant that he will stand in a contest, while Darren Jones, the Prime Minister's Chief Secretary, has ruled out his candidacy, telling Sky News: “Andy Burnham is going to be the next prime minister.”
Despite the promise of no major policy decisions, a row appears to be brewing between Starmer and Burnham over the defence investment plan (Dip), the blueprint for how the military will be funded in coming years. Starmer's plans for the Dip sparked the resignation of John Healey as defence secretary earlier this month, followed by that of Carns.
Starmer wants to complete work on the Dip before he leaves Downing Street, so he can present it at the Nato summit in Turkey on July 7, as part of efforts to establish his legacy as Prime Minister.
The plan now provides some £14 billion extra funding for the armed forces, according to the Times, though this is still short of the £28 billion military chiefs have called for.
Burnham’s camp and allies of Healey have urged the Prime Minister against publishing the plan until his successor is in place.
Talks are also continuing about who might serve in a Burnham cabinet, and who might advise the former Greater Manchester mayor behind the scenes.
Senior Labour figures, including former transport secretary Louise Haigh, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and former health secretary Wes Streeting, have all been tipped for top jobs in a Government led by Burnham.
James Purnell, a former Labour cabinet minister who served alongside Burnham in the Tony Blair government, is meanwhile reportedly being sized up as a chief of staff.
