British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has resigned, and will remain until a successor is chosen this summer
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that he will resign, and a new leader will be in place when Parliament returns in September, paving the way for Britain to have its seventh leader in 10 years.
Starmer, less than two years after winning the election in a landslide promising to end the chaos in British politics, said it is clear that his party wants him to leave.
“The question my party is asking now is whether I am ready to lead us in the next national election,” he said. “I have heard the answer of my party in parliament on that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.”
Starmer thanked his colleagues for supporting him, his voice was heartbreaking as he also respected his wife and children.
The pound and British government bonds have stabilized after Starmer's announcement, which investors had widely expected.
The threat to Starmer's leadership, which had been building for months, intensified on Friday when Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, won a parliamentary election to return to Westminster, defeating the candidate of Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, who has led the national opinion polls for more than a year.
That victory gave Labor advocates hope that Burnham, a politician known for his communication skills, could turn the party's fortunes around. He will be sworn in as a Labor MP later on Monday.
Starmer said on Friday he would contest any formal Labor leadership contest that wanted to replace him. But that seemed to change over the weekend.
Farage, in a social media post, called for an early election.
“If Labor thinks they can put another professional politician in No 10, there's something else coming,” he said.
The victory of former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham raises further speculation about the Labor Party's leadership challenge to unpopular British prime minister Keir Starmer. Polls suggest Burnham is likely to defeat Nigel Farage's far-right Reform UK party in the general election.
A new PM is expected before September
Although the timeline is officially decided by the party's governing body, Starmer said nominations would open on July 9 and close before Parliament goes into recess, which is scheduled for July 16.
He said that if there is going to be a competition, it should be completed by the time Parliament returns, which is scheduled for September 1.
Whoever replaces Starmer will be Britain's seventh prime minister since the Brexit vote to leave the European Union 10 years ago this week.
“The British people are sick of being disappointed by the Prime Minister's relentless violence when nothing really changes,” Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said in a social media post. “This time must be different. It cannot just be about changing who is number 10; it must be about changing our broken politics to fix our country.”
The rate of profit – the highest in Britain for nearly two centuries – underscores the struggle to retain the support of voters angry at successive failures to improve living standards, public services and tackle illegal immigration.
Despite the effort to provide smoothness, change is not without risk.
Besides saying that the country needs fundamental change and lowering the cost of living, Burnham has yet to clarify his approach to foreign affairs, the economy and defense. Adding to Starmer's woes, Defense Secretary John Healey and Defense Minister Al Carns resigned earlier this month, over what they see as insufficient government funding to meet Britain's military needs.
Any candidate wishing to replace Starmer would need the support of 20 per cent of Labor MPs. With Labor currently holding 403 seats, that equates to 81 MPs. Candidates must also receive support from grassroots organizations of the Labor Party, and affiliated organizations such as trade unions.
If there is more than one eligible candidate, a vote of all Labor Party members and delegates will decide the winner, who will become prime minister. If another candidate reaches the support threshold, there is no vote; was elected unopposed as Labor leader and will become prime minister.
Starmer struggled to deliver the promised economic growth, fix crumbling public services and ease the cost of living. He has also been plagued by repeated misconduct, including appointing Peter Mandelson, a disgraced friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as UK ambassador to the United States.
A poor performance in May's local elections prompted many lawmakers to call for Starmer to step down. Health Secretary Wes Streeting became the first senior minister to resign, raising speculation that he could challenge Starmer.
Burnham, on the other hand, was health minister from 2009-2010 in Gordon Brown's government. He failed in the last two leadership contests, in 2010 and 2015.
Starmer's successor will face major domestic challenges.
Britain already has the highest borrowing costs of the G7 rich nations because of its high debt and interest payments, years of sluggish economic growth, its struggles to cut spending and the need to invest in areas such as defence.
