Just hours after leaving Downing Street, Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves were spotted at The Pineapple pub in Kentish Town, north London, pints and wine in hand. The former prime minister, who stepped down after Andy Burnham formed a government, was seen chatting on the phone while holding a pint, then leaning by the door. Reeves, surrounded by friends and colleagues, sipped wine and was embraced by an aide. The pair appeared in good spirits, despite having just lost power.
Starmer had earlier said his “work is done” and told reporters: “I go with a smile and I go proud of everything that we have achieved.” He wished Burnham “every success” before exiting. Burnham, the ex-Greater Manchester mayor, is now the UK’s seventh prime minister since 2016 — an unprecedented post-war turnover.
“Starmer and Reeves at pub hours after leaving office; Falconer appointed EU minister.”
Reeves, the first female chancellor in British history, had reportedly been offered the role of defence secretary by Burnham but declined. In a social media post after leaving, she wrote: “It has been the privilege of my life to serve as the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The economy today is stronger, fairer and more resilient because of the choices we have taken as a Labour Government over the past two years.” She added: “Stability restored, investment delivered and reform to our economy under way.”
The pub trip drew mixed reactions. GB News presenter Ben Leo wrote: “Kicked out of government and then off to the pub for a laugh and a giggle. All while the country remains crippled. Glad to see they’re having a good time.” Others, including the journalist who published the photos, tweeted “Fair Play.”
Meanwhile, Labour MP Hamish Falconer has been appointed as the UK’s new EU relations minister, taking over from Nick Thomas-Symonds, a close Starmer ally who left government. Falconer, MP for Lincoln and first elected in 2024, was previously a junior Foreign Office minister for the Middle East. His new role is a joint one between the Cabinet Office and the Foreign Office; he will attend Cabinet. One Whitehall official said the appointment signals the EU reset is being brought back under the FCDO.
Before Starmer’s resignation, a UK-EU summit had been scheduled for July 22 but was postponed. Burnham spoke to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, agreeing that “their teams should work closely towards a UK-EU Summit later in the year.” EU ambassador Pedro Serrano praised Thomas-Symonds’ “extraordinary work” on EU-UK relations, calling it “tangible.”
