London — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Monday that he was resigning from his position as the leader of the ruling Labour Party, which will also see him replaced as the country’s leader.
Starmer has been under mounting pressure to resign for weeks, following a disastrous round of local elections for his party in early May, but his decision came after a political rival from within Labour, former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, made it clear that he would challenge the prime minister for his job.
Starmer had vowed to stay in his post, but his position became untenable as more and more Labour Party colleagues concluded his time was up. The timetable for his departure sped up after Burnham left his role as mayor and then won a seat last week as a Member of Parliament for his local constituency — a necessary move as prime ministers have long been chosen from among sitting members of the House of Commons.
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It marks the end of a tumultuous reign for Starmer less than two years after his Labour Party was swept to power in a resounding national election victory — and less than two months after voters made their frustration with his handling of national affairs clear in a round of local elections.
In a statement delivered outside his office and official residence at 10 Downing Street in London, Starmer extolled the virtues of his time in office, then added:
“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next election. I have heard the answer… and I accept that answer with good grace. Every decision I have made has been about putting the country I love first.”
“I will resign as leader of the Labour Party,” he said.
If the Labour Party decides to unite around one person as its next leader, without an internal contest, Starmer could be out of the premiership by July. If there is a leadership contest, the new leader will be decided by the time lawmakers return to parliament in September after their summer break.
Starmer said he would give his successor “my full and unequivocal support.”
Starmer appeared to choke up toward the end of his remarks as he spoke of his children, whom he called his “pride and joy.”
He said that after stepping down from the “biggest job in the country,” he would now spend time on “the most important job … being the best husband I can, to my fantastic wife Vic, who has been a rock by my side through good times and bad.”
On Sunday President Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that Star had “failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well!”
The rise of Andy Burnham
Starmer’s widely-tipped successor is former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who won a local election last week to return to parliament as a member of the House of Commons. While not required explicitly by law, British prime ministers have been chosen from among sitting members of parliament (MPs) for decades.
In January, the Labour leaders blocked an attempt by Burnham to run in a separate local election, a move interpreted widely as an effort to stymie any effort to draw authority away from Starmer.
Burnham and Starmer have previously disagreed on some issues.
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If the party decides to have a so-called “coronation” instead of a leadership contest, Burnham is expected to be the next leader of the country, though other Labour politicians are rumored to be interested in running for prime minister.
Giving his acceptance speech after winning his local seat in parliament last week, Burnham — often called the “King of the North” after nearly a decade as the Mayor of Manchester — left no doubt that he hopes to lead the party and the country.
“Everyone knows that politics isn’t working,” he said. “Everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point.”
