SIR KEIR STARMER bid farewell to the Commons front bench today with spiteful smears against his predecessor as his successor deliberated how far he is willing to move beyond the failures of Starmerism.

Parliamentary speculation about incoming premier Andy Burnham’s Cabinet picks reached fever pitch while Sir Keir declared his “political journey at an end.”

Mr Burnham is set to be elected Labour leader on Friday and will take over in Downing Street on Monday, despite a quixotic move by Bermondsey MP Neil Coyle to nominate a rival.

Mr Coyle, an always abrasive and sometimes abusive rightwinger, nominated Hornsey MP Catherine West as a protest against Mr Burnham’s coronation.

Ms West has, however, made it clear that like almost every other Labour MP she is backing Mr Burnham.

Those same MPs gave Sir Keir a standing ovation — against parliamentary rules — at the end of his final Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons, an event by turns oleaginous, self-righteous and lachrymose.

They were joined by many opposition MPs, but not the Tories or Jeremy Corbyn, who remained seated.

This was hardly surprising, since Sir Keir once again took the opportunity to peddle falsehoods about Labour under Mr Corbyn.

Bitter to the end, he accused Labour of having been found institutionally antisemitic under Mr Corbyn’s leadership, a lie that brought a stinging rebuke.

“The Prime Minister today falsely claimed that Labour was found to be ‘institutionally antisemitic’ under my leadership. There was no such finding, and Keir Starmer should have the decency to correct the record,” Mr Corbyn said in a statement.

“This is the second time in recent weeks he has made a false allegation about the Labour Party under my leadership — last time about an invented financial bankruptcy — to bolster his own dismal record. 

“Misrepresentations and broken undertakings are unfortunately part of a pattern under his leadership, leading to the collapse of public support that has brought his premiership to an end.

“He is now heading for the exit, but I will continue to campaign for social justice, human rights and peace. That includes uncovering the true scale of this government’s institutional complicity in genocide,” Mr Corbyn warned.

Sir Keir ended the session by declaring “this is the end of my political journey,” an odd formulation since he has made it clear that he intends to remain an MP for his Holborn and St Pancras constituency in north London.

He repeated boasts that he had led Labour “from historic defeat in 2019 to historic victory in 2024,” neglecting to mention that Labour actually lost votes between the two elections, and claimed that “in two years in government I leave the country in better shape than I found it.”

As aides in the gallery choked up, Sir Keir concluded “to my wife and children, I love you. Goodbye,” before walking out.

Dangerously, Chancellor Rachel Reeves appeared close to tears — the last time that happened in the Commons the markets ran expensively amok.

Earlier, at his final Cabinet meeting, Sir Keir’s colleagues marked the end of his premiership, appropriately enough, with the presentation of a freebie.

Deputy premier David Lammy, whose plans to axe jury trials may be blocked by Mr Burnham, had organised a Cabinet whip-round and purchased a carriage clock for Sir Keir.

Outlandishly, he claimed Sir Keir should be remembered as “a giant of the labour movement.”

While all this stagey melodrama was being played out, Mr Burnham was putting the finishing touches to the team that will take over next week.

Several figures on the broad “soft left” are tipped for Cabinet, including former deputy premier Angela Rayner, deputy leader Lucy Powell and key associates Louise Haigh and Anneliese Midgley.

Claims and counter-claims are circulating regarding the key role of chancellor in succession to Ms Reeves, which Mr Burnham has promised to Energy Secretary and former Labour leader Ed Miliband.

However there has been a strong pushback from City interests, Labour’s right and some unions against the prospect, with the right wing advancing Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood or Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper as alternatives that would not spook the money markets.

Failure to promote Mr Miliband as planned would be seen on the left as a further negative indication regarding Mr Burnham’s political direction.

It could also leave Mr Miliband in a tussle for the Foreign Secretary’s job with his brother David, who is anxious to return to British politics after going off in a huff in 2011 following the younger Mr Miliband becoming leader.

The fact that no decision has been yet made over the chancellor is making Labour MPs nervous that they may be getting behind another indecisive leader.

Indeed, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch pointed out in the Commons that “changing prime minister is not a silver bullet. Indeed, it may be that the Labour party’s troubles are only just beginning.”

One who will not be enjoying preferment is former Labour Together boss Josh Simons, the scandal-riddled ex-minister who stood down as Makerfield MP to make way for Mr Burnham.

Citing family issues, Mr Simons, who had been tipped for a Downing Street role under Mr Burnham, said in a statement that it was “time to take a breather” from politics.