British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Monday that he’ll resign, forced out by his own party after missteps and mistakes soured voters’ goodwill for a first-rate minister who won a landslide election victory two years ago on a promise of regular leadership and economic growth.
Starmer says he’ll remain caretaker prime minister until his Labour party chooses a brand new leader — with expectations growing that it can be former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Burnham confirmed in a social media post that “I’ll put myself forward as a part of this process.” Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who was considered his fundamental rival for the highest job, said he’ll back Burnham.
It was Burnham’s victory in a special parliamentary election last week that triggered Starmer’s decision to resign. After nearly a decade out of Parliament because the mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham returns to Westminster and will probably be sworn in as a lawmaker afterward Monday.
Only members of Parliament can stand for the party leadership.
Streeting’s statement makes it more likely that Burnham will probably be chosen with no leadership contest.
Starmer is the sixth prime minister in a decade to face outside 10 Downing Street and announce a premature departure. His statement comes the day before Britain marks the tenth anniversary of its vote to go away the European Union, a choice that also roils the country’s economy and politics.
After weeks of insisting he would fight to maintain his job, Starmer conceded to growing pressure handy over to a brand new leader who can attempt to revive the federal government’s flagging fortunes. He led Labour to a landslide election victory in July 2024, but since then his popularity and that of the party have plummeted.
A brand new leader in place inside weeks
Starmer made the announcement outside his official 10 Downing St. residence, the spot where he delivered his first speech as prime minister two years ago.
His voice choked with emotion near the top of the transient statement, which was watched by a gaggle of staff, Cabinet ministers and scores of journalists.
“The query my party is asking now is whether or not I’m best placed to guide us into the following general election,” Starmer said. “I actually have heard the reply of my parliamentary party to that query, and I accept that answer with good grace.”
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He said he spoke to King Charles III, Britain’s constitutional monarch, to tell him of the choice.
Starmer spent the weekend pondering his future following Burnham’s special election victory.
It’s unclear whether Burnham, who’s on account of be sworn in as a member of Parliament on Monday, will now face a coronation or a challenge. Starmer said nominations for a leadership contest will open on July 9, and the brand new leader will probably be in place by the point Parliament returns from its summer break on Sept. 1.
If Burnham is the one candidate, the change could come by mid-July.
Starmer struggled to meet election pledges
Starmer has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the fee of living. He has been hamstrung by repeated missteps, including his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, because the U.K. ambassador to america.
Labour is losing liberal voters to the growing Green Party and facing a rising Reform UK, the Nigel Farage -led anti-immigration party that consistently leads in nationwide opinion polls.
U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in even before an announcement, linking Starmer’s potential exit to 2 of his recurring bugbears: immigration and renewable energy.
“Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The UK. He failed badly on two very vital subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well! President DJT,” Trump posted on his social media platform.
Starmer’s initially warm relationship with the president has soured in recent months over issues including the Iran war, which the U.K. didn’t join.
He won praise on the world stage
In contrast to missteps on the domestic front, Starmer has won praise for his international role, notably in rallying European support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, and working to mitigate the economic and political turmoil unleashed by the Iran conflict.
A NATO summit in Turkey next month could also be his last foray on the world stage as Britain’s leader.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised Starmer’s legacy.
“It may well take many leaders years to grow into the statesman you became in only two years,” she said on X. “European and Ukrainian security is stronger due to you. Thanks, dear Keir.”
While many Labour lawmakers have rallied behind Burnham, some have said that Starmer had been treated unfairly. London legislator Neil Coyle railed on X against “the prospect of an utter stitch-up & the media circus being rewarded.
“When the following leader cannot change Trump, Iran, Ukraine, Putin, Musk, broadcast editorial & algorithm bias overnight they’ll bay for his blood too. Higher keep that guillotine sharp,” he wrote.
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