UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces resignation

Keir Starmer announced he will stand down as prime minister after days of intense pressure from his own Labour Party, with a new leader to be in place by the time parliament returns in September.

Less than two years after he led the Labour Party to a sweeping general election victory, Starmer announced his resignation after growing calls in recent months from Labour MPs to outline a plan for his departure.

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The announcement paves the way for a contest among Labour MPs to become Britain’s seventh prime minister in just over a decade, with Starmer’s main rival Andy Burnham expected to be the frontrunner.

“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,” Starmer told reporters outside 10 Downing Street in London on Monday.

Starmer had come under mounting pressure in recent days from his Labour Party to quit following the decisive by-election win by Burnham to claim a parliamentary seat in North West England.

Burnham, a ⁠56-year-old career politician, was quick to say on X he would put himself forward in any leadership contest, receiving the support of former health minister Wes Streeting, who had been seen as a potential rival in any race.

Starmer said he has asked Labour’s National Executive Committee to set out the process for choosing his successor, with nominations due to open on 9 July.

The prime minister opened his brief statement by defending his record in government, pointing to what he described as Labour’s achievements on the economy, wages, investment, infrastructure, the National Health Service (NHS) and workers’ rights.

“An economy that is stronger, going faster than our peers, wages rising, faster than inflation in every single month since we came to power,” he said.

“Investment secured, infrastructure being built, an end to austerity with the fastest fall in NHS waiting lists for 17 years, the biggest improvement in rights for workers and renters in a generation.”

Labour MP Afzal Khan said he welcomed Starmer’s decision to resign and told Al Jazeera the prime minister can leave with a “proud legacy”.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also lauded the outgoing leader, praising him for bringing the Labour party “from the brink, back to power”.

Former Labour leader and MP for Islington North Jeremy Corbyn criticised Starmer’s record.

“Keir Starmer could have ended child poverty, homelessness and the grotesque levels of inequality in this country. Instead, he abandoned those in need, destroyed our civil liberties and facilitated genocide in Gaza,” Corbyn said.

Reporting from London, Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull said Starmer had shown deep emotion while giving his statement.

“Starmer spoke of his family, he spoke of his wife, Vic, he spoke of moving on from this job to the more important one of being with his family, his voice very audibly breaking. He was clearly deeply emotional,” said Hull.

“This has been extremely difficult and for weeks and weeks and weeks, he has been absolutely insistent that he was not going to walk away from this job, even as calls for his resignation grew louder.

Starmer to remain in caretaker role

Burnham, meanwhile, is due in Westminster later on Monday to be sworn in as Makerfield’s new MP. The result of that by-election last week had cleared the way for Burnham to challenge Starmer for the leadership of the Labour Party and the United Kingdom.

That victory also gave hope to Labour lawmakers that Burnham, a politician known for his communication skills, could transform the fortunes of a party that has lost support under Starmer.

Prior to Burnham’s win, Starmer said “he would fight any and every challenger trying to unseat him, that he would defend his government’s five-year mandate won less than two years ago”, explained Al Jazeera’s Hull.

Starmer could have also handed over his post to his deputy, the Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, he said.

“But no, Keir Starmer has indicated very firmly that he will remain in place for the duration of any contest to succeed him,” said Hill, adding that Starmer will give his successor “his full and absolute backing”.

In 2024, Starmer won the biggest parliamentary majority for Labour since 1997 after 14 years of ‌Conservative-led government.

But opinion polls have shown the 63-year-old Labour Party leader and former lawyer is deeply unpopular with voters after a series of policy missteps and scandals.