No 10 says there will be "no new major policy or spending commitments" made until a new prime minister is appointed
Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he'll resign as Labour leader and PM – but is saying in post until his successor is chosen
The outgoing leader has authorised "prospective candidates" to receive briefings from civil servants on taking over, his spokesman says
Darren Jones, Starmer's chief secretary, and former Armed Forces Minister Al Carns are weighing up whether to challenge Andy Burnham in a leadership contest
Burnham – the new MP for Makerfield – is the front-runner to replace Starmer. One minister says they're backing him to take the job in an "orderly transition"
Nominations for the Labour Party leadership open on 9 July and close on 16 July – if there is no challenger, Burnham could become PM by 16 or 17 July
Edited by Craig Hoyle and Angus Thompson, with Henry Zeffman reporting from Westminster
Brian Wheeler
Political reporter
Andy Burnham is set to receive briefings from civil servants on taking over as prime minister, as Keir Starmer seeks to ensure an “orderly” transition of power.
Downing Street says the outgoing prime minister has authorised access talks to begin with “prospective candidates” to be the next Labour leader.
Access talks are normally granted to opposition party leaders ahead of a general election.
The talks with Labour leadership candidates will focus on the “formation of government and key policy priorities”, the PM’s spokesman adds, and would include security briefings.
The spokesman says talks will begin “as soon as possible” and before formal nominations for any Labour leadership contest close on 16 July.
He says he did not know if Burnham had formally requested access talks – but the former Greater Manchester mayor is the only leadership candidate to have emerged so far.
One of the most pressing issues facing Andy Burnham if he becomes prime minister is the government's Defence Investment Plan.
John Healey resigned as defence secretary earlier this month, claiming the draft government proposals would take UK defence spending to 2.68% of GDP by 2030, falling "well short" of the 3% target he considered necessary.
Speaking to the Times a day after Healey's resignation, Burnham said alongside the 10-year approach to defence and security, there needed to be reform of public investment and procurement.
He told the newspaper that this would reduce the welfare bill by bringing recipients into the workforce, ensuring more money was available for defence.
"I am not squeamish about saying that the plan would be to reduce the welfare bill," he said.
More from the House of Commons, where Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge says the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) should be the "top item" for Andy Burnham if he becomes prime minister.
Cartlidge says the government has "dithered and delayed" around publishing the funding proposal, which has been a flashpoint for the Starmer government.
Not knowing who will be the next prime minister creates "massive uncertainties" for the defence industry, Cartlidge says.
He adds he was "incredibly worried" by John Healey's resignation as defence secretary earlier this month – saying that warfare is changing fast, and the DIP needs to be implemented as soon as possible.
We've just heard from Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who says in the Commons that she is "confident" the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) will be published before the upcoming Nato summit – which begins on 7 July.
She adds that the plan "will meet the scale of the challenges facing the country".
Reeves tells MPs she met on Monday with Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis and Chief of the Defence Staff Richard Knighton "to talk through" the plan.
"It will involve more money spent more effectively and will meet the scale of challenges facing our country," she says.
Brian Wheeler
Political reporter
The government has announced that there will be no new “major policies” or spending decisions during the transition to a new prime minister.
Keir Starmer told a cabinet meeting this morning that he wanted an orderly transition of power and he would give his full support to his successor.
The head of the civil service has written to the heads of all departments to tell them to follow the established procedure for a change of PM.
“The prime minister has agreed that there will be no new major policy or spending commitments initiated during this period,” his official spokesman told reporters earlier.
But – crucially – this does not appear to include the much-delayed Defence Investment Plan, which ministers are insisting will be published before the Nato summit on 7 July.
Asked if the ban on new policy announcements meant the government faced paralysis, the spokesman said ministers remain in place and “the normal business of government continues”.
Al Carns is thought to be considering running for Labour leader
Former Armed Forces Minister Al Carns says he has not ruled out launching a leadership campaign and the decision is based on "multiple factors".
Speaking to journalists at the Foreign Press Association in London, he says: "I just need to see and buy into that vision and that policy and then we’ll see where we go from there."
Carns says Burnham would "listen" to the Parliamentary Labour Party and "he’ll take advice on policy ideas".
"And hopefully he’ll be able to drive them forward at a pace and with the boldness and courageousness that is required to keep that social cohesion and make us successful in the 2029 general election."
But he adds: "A vision without a plan is a dream and if you don’t have it, it can turn into a nightmare pretty quickly."
Mitchell Labiak
BBC Business reporter
As Keir Starmer prepares to leave Downing Street, there is speculation that his Chancellor Rachel Reeves may follow him – if Starmer's successor opts for someone new. Here's some of the names believed to be in the running for the job.
Wes Streeting: Instead of pitching himself for the leadership role, Streeting has backed Burnham and could be awarded the number two job in British politics for his loyalty.
Ed Miliband: Some see Miliband as an inflation risk, believing his drive for net zero as energy secretary is partly responsible for the UK's high energy prices compared to other countries. But others think he could gain the confidence of the markets with his "intellect, experience, and authority".
Pat McFadden: He's held shadow Treasury jobs, been a business minister in a Labour government and is the current work and pensions secretary. His experience in the latter could help tackle welfare reform.
Yvette Cooper: She has years of experience in government, and served as chief secretary to the Treasury under Gordon Brown.
Manish Pandey
Live reporter
Chris Mason
Political editor
Andy Burnham would be the UK's fifth prime minister in four years.
The photographs of the new MP for Makerfield beaming in the presence of hundreds of Labour MPs sit alongside the images of Sir Keir and his wife, both emotional, in illustrating that brutal transfer of power.
But after the theatre and drama of Monday, the hard questions for the Labour Party and for Burnham beckon. And some are already worried. They fret about what all this looks like.
A bloke who wasn't even a parliamentary candidate at the last general election and wasn't even an MP this time last week, could be prime minister by this time next month.
"And remember he's run for the Labour leadership twice before and lost," one minister pointed out to me, adding: "And not only that. He lost to two losers – Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn."
So what is driving Burnham's current magnetism? In short, he is seen as a winner and Starmer is seen as a loser.
And not just any winner – a winner against Reform UK, in a part of the country where Reform did very well in the English local elections last month.
Without question, Burnham didn't choose an easy seat to contest to return to Parliament. But it is also true to say that he is very popular in Greater Manchester and his popularity remains largely untested beyond.
"It feels like lots of Labour MPs are dashing for a train that's about to leave the station, but they haven't any idea where it's going," is how one figure put it to me, suggesting there is still plenty the party and the country doesn't yet know about Burnham's prospectus for government.
Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent
Cabinet ministers are just beginning to leave the regular weekly cabinet meeting – one of Keir Starmer’s last.
This is usually a big moment in the week of the government, for signalling the prime minister’s priorities and bringing secretaries of state together.
The mood today will have been radically different, no doubt.
Power has now drained from this cabinet. Several will be hopeful of keeping their jobs – indeed any job – under the new regime, but the numerical reality is that many of them will be sent to the backbenches.
And in many parts of government, business is likely to slow as ministers and civil servants alike prepare for what comes next.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy exit Downing Street
We're now seeing members of Keir Starmer's cabinet leave Downing Street.
We'll keep you updated on any statements we get from Tuesday morning's meeting, which lasted just over an hour.
As we've been reporting, Darren Jones, a senior cabinet minister, and Al Carns, who quit as a defence minister a few weeks ago, are both considering a leadership challenge.
Lord Philip Hunt, who served alongside Andy Burnham in Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's cabinets, says "Andy is a lovely guy" but "I really love Al Carns and I think he'd be an exceptional choice as leader".
Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster, Hunt says Darren Jones is also "a very credible candidate".
"He [Burnham] was a great colleague, friendly, personable, bright, a very good communicator as we can all see," he says.
Hunt endorsed Burham, saying the "entire Labour party wants him to succeed", but added that "stepping up to the top job brings its own pressures", and he would face a "very tough challenge" if he becomes the next Labour leader.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper made her way up Downing Street
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood arrived at No 10 with a red folder
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is among the attendees at cabinet
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is also part of Keir Starmer's cabinet
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage believes Andy Burnham won't have "a mandate" if he becomes prime minister and says there should be a general election.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Farage says: "I have absolutely no idea where Andy Burnham stands on anything.
"The British public are pretty sick of the game of musical chairs that's been going on in No 10 now for the best part of the decade and they deserve to have a general election."
Farage says that a prime minister "has to have a mandate from the people", but Burnham "didn't even stand in the 2024 general election, so he's not tied to that manifesto personally in any way at all, and if it is a coronation he will have no mandate whatsoever".
Ministers have arrived at Downing Street for the first cabinet meeting since Starmer's resignation.
Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones, who is said to be considering a leadership challenge, was seen smiling at the cameras as he arrived for this morning's meeting.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says she felt sympathy for Keir Starmer on a human level, but he "wasn't doing the job properly" as prime minister.
"The problem isn't just him, it's the whole Labour Party," Badenoch tells BBC Breakfast, adding that the party "held him hostage" and wouldn't let him make "the tough decisions" needed.
When asked about the turnover of prime ministers under the Tories, Badenoch says Starmer had the "same problem", as winning elections "is not the same thing as running the country".
When it comes to Andy Burnham, who is the front-runner to become the next Labour leader, Badenoch says questions remain over what his policies would be on defence and welfare.
"We need to bring back some common sense. If we keep pretending being PM is a popularity contest we will keep getting people who can win elections but cannot run the country," she adds.
Former Manchester City Council leader Richard Leese thinks Andy Burnham will have no problem making the jump from his mayoral duties to Downing Street.
"I think Andy will love the job if he gets it," Leese tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "He likes ideas, and part of liking ideas of course is to like having the odd argument about those as well."
As a result, Leese, who worked alongside Burnham as deputy mayor of Greater Manchester, suggests the UK would see a "far more relaxed prime minister" than in recent years should Burnham succeed Keir Starmer.
And Leese says he would expect Burnham to scale up his work in Manchester to national politics.
This means, he says, the public can expect Burnham's early priorities to be growth and devolution, with areas including apprenticeships and job support schemes devolved to a local level.
The Labour MP John Slinger says the party needs a full leadership contest – and a failure to do so would make it seem as if its MPs had "lost our minds".
Speaking to the World Tonight programme on BBC Radio 4, Slinger said: "For the leadership of a country that is the fifth-largest in the world, it is necessary.
"And I think the public out there would think we’d slightly lost our minds if we didn't go through a process where we subject people who aspire to the highest office in the land to completely normal scrutiny.
"We don’t just pass around the premiership of our great country to people. It says something about our politics and our wider society, that we have a very bizarre need for instant gratification.
"We buy things online, we send them back, we haven’t got any patience any more."
John Slinger, speaking in the Commons in February
While Andy Burnham is the front-runner to become Labour's next leader, there is disagreement among Labour MPs about whether a leadership contest should take place.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Labour MP Jo White says such a contest would be a "pointless charade".
"If we have a competition or a contest, this whole thing will extend until September," White says (see our earlier post with key dates here).
White wants to get a new leader "as quickly as possible so that we can get on with the job of governing".
Nadia Whittome is the Labour MP for Nottingham East
However fellow Labour MP, Nadia Whittome, feels "there needs to be a contest".
Whittome says how to deal with the country's problems can't be answered "without candidates setting out their stall transparently, and being scrutinised by members and by unions".
She says she believes the party and government "will be stronger for having been through that process", whoever the leader is.
Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds is calling for an "orderly transition" as he backs Andy Burnham to be the next leader.
Thomas-Symonds posed with other MPs for a picture with Burnham in Parliament on Monday, and says the party needs "someone with a track record of delivery and delivering change" and also "somebody who is best placed to beat Reform".
Burnham secured 55% of the vote share in the Makerfield by-election, comfortably beating Reform candidate Rob Kenyon.
While he says it's "not an unreasonable ambition" for other colleagues to challenge as leader, Thomas-Symonds stresses the party needs to be "facing outward" to the country.
"An orderly transition is what I'll be supporting."
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