Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned on Monday, paving the way for Britain’s seventh leader in a decade. Addressing the press outside 10 Downing Street, Starmer said he would accept his party’s decision with “good grace” and would extend full, unequivocal support to his successor.
The resignation comes after months of growing pressure inside the Labour Party. The threat to Starmer increased sharply when Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, decisively won a parliamentary election to return to Westminster, beating a candidate from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which has led national opinion polls for more than a year.
Starmer asked the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee to open a leadership contest on July 9, to be completed before the summer recess, ensuring a new leader is in place before parliament returns in September. He has pledged to stay on as prime minister until the election is decided.
Starmer has been credited with reshaping Labour into an election-winning party, which clinched a decisive victory in 2024, ending 14 years of Conservative rule. But his term was derailed by missteps ranging from benefit cuts to criticism over defence spending plans. His appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington and the rapid rise of the far-right Reform UK party further weakened his position.
Burnham is widely expected to contest the leadership. He enters the race with strong public communication skills but faces immediate questions on fiscal policy, foreign affairs, and defence.
