Sir Keir Starmer has announced that he will resign as leader of the Labour Party, bringing to an end a leadership that began two years ago. In a statement, he said the decision had been about putting the country he loves first, and made clear that he would stay on as prime minister until a successor is in place. The announcement marks one of the most significant moments in British politics in recent years and reshapes the immediate future of the governing party.
Starmer said he had heard the answer of his parliamentary party to the question of who was best placed to lead Labour into the next general election, and that he accepted that answer with good grace. The acknowledgement amounted to a recognition that he had lost the confidence of his own MPs to take the party into the next national vote, even as he insisted that every decision he had taken had been made with the country's interests in mind.
Setting out the mechanics of his departure, the prime minister said he had spoken to His Majesty the King and would ask Labour's National Executive Committee to draw up a timetable for choosing his replacement. He said nominations would open on 9 July and be completed by the summer recess, ensuring a new leader is in place before Parliament returns in September. He pledged to remain prime minister until the contest concludes and to ensure an orderly handover, promising his successor his full and unequivocal support.
Reflecting on his time in office, Starmer listed what he cast as the achievements of his government over the past two years. He pointed to an economy he said was growing faster than its peers, wages that he said had risen faster than inflation in every month since Labour came to power, the fastest fall in NHS waiting lists in 17 years, and what he described as the biggest improvement in rights for workers and renters in a generation.
He also highlighted the biggest uplift in defence spending since the Cold War, a fall in small boat crossings and the closing of asylum hotels, and measures to protect young people from social media. Britain's reputation in the world had been restored, he argued, citing trade deals and his government's record of standing with Ukraine and with allies in Europe. He framed the resignation as leaving the party better placed to win a second term in office.
The announcement followed weeks of intensifying pressure on Number 10. BBC reporting noted that speculation had grown for days that the prime minister was preparing to step down, with the strain mounting further after a by-election in Makerfield. US President Donald Trump had earlier claimed that Starmer was resigning and wished him well, though Number 10 said the two leaders had not spoken over the weekend.
Attention within Labour quickly turned to the question of succession. Andy Burnham, long seen as one of the party's most recognisable figures outside Westminster, was widely discussed as a potential contender, while there were questions over whether Wes Streeting would also stand. Commentators debated whether the party faced a full leadership contest or whether a single candidate could ultimately be crowned without one, in what observers described as a hugely significant day for the Labour Party.