Keir Starmer steps down as UK prime minister

Keir Starmer on Monday morning after he announced an end to his six years as Labour leader and two years as prime minister
Photo: PA Wire

An emotional Sir Keir Starmer has announced his resignation, clearing the way for the “coronation” of Andy Burnham as Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade, Financial Times writes.

Addressing the nation from outside Number 10 on Monday morning, Starmer announced an end to his six years as Labour leader and two years as prime minister.

Within two hours, it became almost certain that Starmer would be succeeded by Burnham, after his main rival Wes Streeting said he would not compete to become Labour leader.

Starmer was cheered by his Downing Street staff as he made his farewell statement, his voice cracking as he said he wanted to be “the best dad to my beautiful children, who are my pride and joy”.

He said he had rescued Labour after its disastrous 2019 election defeat, made the party electable and delivered a series of reforms after his landslide election victory in July 2024.

Starmer listed economic recovery, improvements to workers’ rights, falling hospital waiting lists, cuts to illegal migration and a reduction in child poverty among his government’s achievements.

The prime minister spent the weekend contemplating his future with his wife, Victoria Starmer, but concluded that he had lost the confidence of his cabinet and parliamentary party.

Burnham will take his seat as an MP at Westminster on Monday afternoon after his momentous victory in the Makerfield by-election last week.

He is seen by Labour MPs as a popular and effective antidote to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and the party is now expected to turn to him as its new leader and prime minister.

The opening of nominations for a new Labour leader on July 9 will allow MPs to hold an “in-person” hustings with the candidate or candidates before the Commons rises for the summer, though no one is expected to challenge Burnham.

Nominations close on July 16, which would mean that if there is no contest — and instead a coronation of Burnham — then the new MP for Makerfield would become prime minister on July 17 or July 18.

The EU could postpone a summit with the UK on July 22 after Starmer announced his resignation as prime minister.

“We’re reassessing the opportunity of the summit together with the UK given the situation and we’ll take it from there,” an EU official told the FT.

Starmer wanted the summit to cement his legacy to rebuild economic ties 10 years after the Brexit referendum, but EU officials are discussing whether it would be better to postpone the event until his successor is ready to attend.

Nigel Farage demands general election as he warns Starmer won’t be last PM he ‘deposes’

The Reform UK leader Nigel Farage
Photo: Getty Images

Nigel Farage has demanded a general election after Sir Keir Starmer announced he will be resigning as Prime Minister. And he threatened to depose leadership favourite Andy Burnham if he becomes the next PM as expected.

The Reform UK leader – whose party was trounced by Burnham in the Makerfield byelection – said: "Starmer isn’t the first Prime Minister I’ve deposed, and he won’t be the last. The reason each leader has failed is the same.

"What the political class fails to understand is that the electorate won’t accept being taken for fools. They cannot continue to take the votes of the people who supported them for granted, only to betray them upon having gained power. Politics is about trust."

Farage, 62, wrote in his Substack blog: "That is why I am calling for a General Election at the soonest possible date. You know as well as I do that the country cannot afford to waste another week drifting from crisis to crisis."

The Clacton MP – who spent 21 years as an MEP and stood for election as an MP seven times before he was finally elected – said: "If Labour thinks it can shove another professional politician into No 10, it has another thing coming."

And he vowed: "Reform is ready for an election, and we are ready to deliver radical change."

The veteran right winger – who caused a headache to Tory PMs David Cameron, Theresa May and Rishi Sunak – claimed Burnham was scared of Reform in his 1,477-word essay, published just moments after Sir Keir's emotional statement outside No10.

He went on: "I’ve been frank that I was disappointed by the result in Makerfield. But I must also remind people of something important.

"On the ballot paper in that by-election, there was no discussion about 'Manchesterism', no pretence that Burnham had any actual solutions to the problems plaguing the country.

"He simply repackaged Reform’s winning strategy from the May elections to great effect to Get Starmer Out. When he knocked on doors, he didn’t try and convince people that he was the right man to represent their constituency, just that he was not Keir Starmer.

"He sold people a compelling message - of Starmer being thrown out of Downing Street. That’s why it’s ridiculous to pretend that Andy Burnham has any kind of meaningful mandate to lead the country."

He added: "Andy Burnham has good reason to be afraid of us. Reform is the only party that listens to the desires of working people and offers them solutions, rather than flattery and patronisation."

It comes as it emerged Mr Burnham could become prime minister within weeks after Labour leadership rival Wes Streeting announced he would not enter the race to succeed Starmer.

The former Greater Manchester mayor confirmed he would stand for the Labour leadership shortly after Sir Keir pledged an “orderly handover of power” in an emotional statement outside Number 10.

read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs