By: Tunji Okunlola
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Monday morning that he will resign as leader of the Labour Party and step down as prime minister, ending his tenure two years after leading Labour to a sweeping general election victory.
“I will resign as leader of the Labour Party. I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision,” Starmer said in a televised statement outside 10 Downing Street.
The announcement came in stark contrast to remarks he made following Andy Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election on Friday, when Starmer had vowed to stand and fight any leadership contest, stating: “I’m not going to walk away from that.”
Starmer framed his departure as an acknowledgment of his party’s will. “The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer from my parliamentary party to that question and I accept that answer with good grace,” he told reporters.
Starmer said he would remain in post as caretaker until a new leader is chosen. He has asked Labour’s National Executive Committee to establish a timetable for the succession, with nominations opening on 9 July and the process to be completed before the summer recess.
The resignation followed months of turmoil, with Labour MPs criticising Starmer’s leadership and arguing he had failed to deliver the rapid change expected after 14 years of Conservative rule. Several ministers resigned in recent weeks, including former Health Secretary Wes Streeting and the top two defence officials, who accused Starmer of failing to invest sufficiently in the country’s Defence Investment Plan.
Last month, more than 80 Labour colleagues called on Starmer to leave following disastrous local election results that saw the party lose more than 1,100 council seats across England, while Reform UK won more than 1,450.
Andy Burnham, the popular former mayor of Greater Manchester who secured a return to Parliament last week, is widely seen as the frontrunner to succeed Starmer. Leadership candidates must secure the support of 20% of Labour MPs to enter the contest; if more than one clears that threshold, a vote will be held among party members and supporters.
Starmer’s resignation paves the way for the country’s seventh prime minister in just over a decade.
#UK #Keir Starmer #Labour #Andy Burnham