Keir Starmer’s resignation after less than two years in office led every major paper on Tuesday, but across many front pages the prime minister’s exit was relegated to second place, the focus already turning to Andy Burnham, the newly elected MP for Makerfield and leader-in-waiting.
The Guardian led with an image of Starmer delivering his resignation speech, the headline reading “Starmer bows out … as Burnham sweeps in”. Jonathan Freedland looked at the rise and fall of a man who won a landslide victory in July 2024, only to be pushed out “having started no illegal wars, having triggered no grave economic crises, having been accused of no scandalous act of corruption.”
“Keir Starmer resigns after less than two years; Andy Burnham is the focus as the next PM.”
“Out of time,” read the Mirror headline, beneath a picture of Starmer and his wife, Victoria. The front page noted he “stood up to Trump, lifted half a million kids out of poverty, protected workers and renters,” before conceding “the failures were glaring. In the end a decent man tried his very best in an almost impossible job.”
The Times turned to Burnham, contrasting the image of Starmer at the podium outside No 10 with that of the newly elected MP taking a selfie in Westminster surrounded by the ranks of the parliamentary Labour party. “Burnham angles for power,” the paper’s headline read, adding that the former mayor of Manchester could be prime minister by “next month”. The i took a similar line: “Prime Minister in three weeks: Burnham arrives for coronation”.
“‘Messiah’ without a mandate,” read the Mail’s headline, reporting on a poll of its own readers: 89% said Burnham should “go to the ballot box” and call an early election.
In a particularly loud voice, Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, announced: “We now come to Andy Burnham, member for Makerfield.” The former mayor had been sworn in as an MP after Starmer’s resignation, with the outgoing prime minister saying a new leader would be in place before parliament returns in September. The coronation, it seemed, had already begun.