A key question now that Andy Burnham has forced Keir Starmer to stand down as prime minister is whether or not the former mayor of Manchester will be crowned Labour leader unopposed, or if he will face competition, with Starmer loyalists reportedly urging Darren Jones to run against him

As far as the public are concerned, twice as many would prefer a contest (46%) over a coronation (23%)

Labour voters themselves are divided, with 40% wanting to see Burnham elected unopposed, while 37% want to see other challengers emerge and for a leadership election to be held

18% of Britons think that Burnham would make a great or good prime minister, compared to 20% who expect that he would be average, and 26% who believe he would be poor or terrible

Labour voters are unsurprisingly the most optimistic, with 39% expecting Burnham to do well should he become PM, versus 22% who believe he would be ‘average’ and just 9% who anticipate him performing badly

Now that Keir Starmer is confirmed to be standing down, how do Britons feel looking forward?

One in five (21%) say that they now feel more optimistic about the future direction of the country, although they are balanced by the 24% who feel more pessimistic – and 43% report no change in their feelings

Among Labour voters, 34% are more optimistic, while 38% say there is no difference in their mood – only 19% now feel more pessimistic

With Nigel Farage saying that there should now be a general election ‘as soon as possible’, and Andy Burnham facing criticism for having done the same in the wake of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss’s resignations, the British public tend to agree

Almost half (48%) say there should be a general election once Keir Starmer’s replacement is in place, while 35% say there should not be

Labour voters are opposed to a fresh election (62%), as are 52% of Lib Dem and Green voters, while most Tory (72%) and Reform voters (88%) are in favour

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