Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, saying he has accepted the verdict of his parliamentary party following growing pressure over his leadership.
Speaking on Monday, June 22, Starmer said the debate over whether he was the right person to return Labour to power had been settled, but the party was now questioning whether he was best placed to lead it into the next general election.
“I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question. And I accept that answer with good grace,” he said.
Starmer stated that every decision he had taken as prime minister had been guided by a commitment to put the country first.
“Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first,” he said.
The outgoing prime minister disclosed that he had informed King Charles III of his decision and would initiate the process of selecting a new Labour leader.
“I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision,” Starmer noted.
He added that he would ask the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee to establish a timetable for the leadership contest, with nominations expected to open on July 9 and a successor to be chosen before Parliament returns from its summer recess.
Starmer’s resignation comes less than two years after he led the Labour Party to a landslide victory that ended 14 years of Conservative rule. His departure follows months of declining popularity and increasing calls from within Labour for a change in leadership.
The resignation sets the stage for a leadership contest that will determine both the next leader of the Labour Party and the United Kingdom’s next prime minister, with former Greater Manchester Mayor and newly elected MP Andy Burnham widely viewed as a leading contender.
