London, June 22: Keir Starmer on Monday announced his resignation as British Prime Minister and the Leader of the Labour Party, setting out a timetable for his successor to be elected in the coming weeks and be in place by September.
The 63-year-old said he will remain in post until a new leader and PM is elected by the governing party and pledged his “full and unequivocal support” to the next incumbent to “ensure an orderly handover of power”.
Andy Burnham, who returns to the House of Commons on Monday after winning a crucial by-election last week, is seen as the frontrunner in the race to replace Starmer at 10 Downing Street. “I will put myself forward as part of this process,” he said in a social media post.
“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,” said an emotional Starmer, in his address from the steps of Downing Street.
“I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question and I accept that answer with good grace. Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party,” he said.
Starmer said he had spoken to King Charles III on Monday morning to inform him of the decision.
He will now ask the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party to set out the timetable for selecting his successor, with nominations opening on July 9 and the process to be completed by the summer recess of Parliament, scheduled for July 17.
The NEC will set out the process to elect a new leader, though there is growing speculation that the overwhelming backing already notched up by Burnham could see him elected unopposed and in post at Downing Street by mid-July.
Starmer led the Labour Party to a landslide victory in a general election in July 2024 and after an initial phase of popularity, saw his ratings as PM plummet in recent months over some controversial decisions.
On his own achievements, Starmer pointed out that he inherited a party that was “politically, financially, and morally bankrupt” six years ago and went on to prove his doubters wrong by winning an emphatic majority of 174 in the last general election.
Potential leadership challengers, also expected to include former health secretary Wes Streeting, would need support from at least 20 per cent of the party’s MPs. They must also have the backing of either 5 per cent of the constituency Labour parties, or at least three affiliated Labour Party organisations or trade unions.
Starmer’s resignation means the UK is now on the hunt for its seventh prime minister in 10 years, following rapid leadership changes during the previous Tory government.
The biggest damage to Starmer’s premiership was the appointment of former Labour Party grandee Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite his known links with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandelson’s eventual sacking, coupled with some unpopular domestic decisions on welfare reforms and U-turns around taxes and social benefits, made his position untenable with most of his Cabinet advising him to step aside for a change in leadership direction. (PTI)
