Keir Starmer resigned as prime minister on Monday morning, standing outside No 10 to announce the end of a premiership that had brought Britain its seventh leader in a decade. Fighting back tears, he said he had heard the answer of his parliamentary party to the question of whether he was best placed to lead into the next general election, and accepted it “with good grace”.
The resignation came after multiple Cabinet ministers told Starmer over the weekend that his position was no longer tenable, following Andy Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election and Labour’s disastrous results in the May elections. Business Secretary Peter Kyle had earlier described the prime minister as “reflecting” and doing his job, but the pressure proved insurmountable.
“Keir Starmer resigns as PM after Cabinet revolt, triggering leadership contest; Brexit summit postponed.”
Starmer said he had spoken to the King on Monday morning to inform him of his decision. A podium and sound system were placed outside the black door of Downing Street as his departure became inevitable. His chief of staff, Vidhya Alkeson, had told No 10 staff earlier that Starmer would announce his resignation today.
Nominations for a leadership contest will open on 9 July, with a new leader and prime minister in place by the end of parliament’s summer recess in early September. If Andy Burnham is the only candidate, he could become prime minister as soon as next month. Starmer said he would remain in post until the contest is complete and give “full support” to his successor, promising “an orderly handover of power”.
In his statement, he highlighted his achievements, saying he had rescued the Labour Party from financial, moral and electoral peril and put Britain on a stronger footing economically and internationally. Becoming prime minister had been “the proudest moment of my life”, he said, before vowing to spend more time on “the most important job” – being a husband and father.
The resignation overshadowed a planned UK-EU summit in Brussels on 22 July, at which Starmer had hoped to finalise his much-trumpeted Brexit “reset” deal. The Daily Mail reported that the summit has been postponed amid the leadership crisis, delivering a final humiliation for the outgoing prime minister. Political advisers and loyal ministers gathered outside No 10 to cheer Starmer as he ended his premiership, but the question now is whether Labour can unite behind a successor before the next general election.