Deborah Meaden has launched a passionate defence of prime minister Sir Keir Starmer as the Labour leader faces mounting pressure to reveal his resignation timetable, with an announcement potentially coming as early as this morning.
At least four cabinet ministers, among them the home and foreign secretaries, have privately informed the prime minister that he should set out a departure date.
The intervention follows Andy Burnham’s decisive victory in last week’s Makerfield by-election, which has unleashed pent-up dissent within Labour ranks.
The prime minister reportedly spent the weekend considering his options, with his leadership having appeared increasingly deflated to colleagues in recent months.
Britain now stands on the verge of its third prime ministerial departure in four years, driven by internal party pressure rather than electoral defeat.
The small boats crisis has emerged as one of the most contentious issues of Mr Starmer’s premiership. Since Labour came to power in 2024, pledging to “smash” the people-smuggling gangs profiting from illegal Channel crossings, more than 72,000 migrants have entered Britain via this route.
Total crossings since the government declared the situation a “major incident” in 2018 have now surpassed 200,000, with approximately 128,000 occurring under previous Conservative administrations.
Recent months have offered some respite, with arrivals between January and mid-May this year running roughly 40 percent below the equivalent period in 2025.
The Home Office has pointed to a new enforcement agreement with France and claims to have prevented over 42,000 crossing attempts since the election.
Vessels now carry an average of 65 passengers, more than double the figure from 2021, making journeys increasingly perilous.
Emphasis on the small boats crisis, in particular, appeared to irk Dragons’ Den star Ms Meaden over the weekend, as she took to X to downplay its role in Mr Starmer’s predicted downfall.
In a series of posts, Ms Meaden first reacted to one X user who argued that Mr Burnham should “insist on a leadership contest” rather than serve as a “bystander to the bullying” of Mr Starmer to resign.
Ms Meaden agreed: “Me too… don’t allow it to happen @Keir_Starmer I know a contest would take an even greater personal toll but I voted for Labour under your leadership and an untested Coronation will fail this Country.. I want to know what Andy Burnham means by ‘better’ because so far it lacks a great deal of substance.”
Her defence of Mr Starmer continued in a separate thread, when one X user asked for examples as to why Mr Starmer was “worse” than the likes of Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak. She replied: “He isn’t … there are plenty of vested interests who want us to believe he is…”
But this didn’t go down well with another X user who argued: “Well, off the top of my head, he betrayed the elderly, cutting their heating allowance almost as he got in power, then tried to bankrupt most farmers, didn’t smash the boats landing on our shores, betrayed the WASPI women… Good riddance, Starmer.”
Ms Meaden fired back, paying particular attention to the channel crossing claims: “Although he rectified all of those as a good leader should, and as for the boats… You have to be kidding, boat crossings down dramatically… happy to discuss facts, not just random claims.”
The Dragons’ Den star doubled down on her defence of Mr Starmer regarding the small boat crisis further, replying to yet another X user who questioned why the prime minister didn’t “just stop the boats.”
“He did…” Ms Meaden bluntly replied to the disgruntled social media user.
It isn’t just the reasons behind Mr Starmer’s tipped exit that have sparked debate, with discourse intensifying over how quickly any transition should occur.
Some influential figures backing Mr Burnham favour a handover around the late September party conference, arguing this would allow adequate preparation time for the government.
However, other senior supporters of the former Greater Manchester mayor believe a three-month interregnum would effectively paralyse decision-making amid fevered speculation about his plans.
“His opportunity to define himself would be thrown off by endless speculation,” one minister warned.
The question of who would serve as chancellor under Mr Burnham is generating particular anxiety. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband had been considered a leading contender alongside Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, though Mahmood is now expected to remain in her current post.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has publicly cautioned Burnham against selecting Mr Miliband, with one minister suggesting such an appointment would immediately anger around 100 Labour MPs.
