LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday he is stepping down as leader of the governing Labour Party and will leave office within weeks, scarcely two years after being elected in a landslide.
Starmer says he will remain caretaker prime minister until the party chooses a new Labour leader — with expectations that it will be former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
After weeks of insisting he would fight to keep his job, Starmer conceded to growing pressure to hand over to a new leader who can try and revive the government’s flagging fortunes. He led Labour to a landslide election victory in July 2024, but since then his popularity and that of the party have plummeted.
Burnham, who won a special parliamentary election last week, ran with the aim of challenging Starmer for leadership of the party and the country.
Starmer made the announcement outside his official 10 Downing St. residence, the spot where he made his first speech as prime minister two years ago.
His voice choked with emotion near the end of the brief statement, which was watched by a group of staff, Cabinet ministers and scores of journalists.
“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,” Starmer said. “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.”
Starmer said he had spoken to King Charles III, Britain’s constitutional monarch, to inform him of the decision.
Starmer is the sixth prime minister in a decade to stand outside 10 Downing Street and announce a premature departure. His statement comes the day before Britain marks the 10th anniversary of its vote to leave the European Union, a decision that still roils the country’s economy and politics.
Starmer spent the weekend pondering his future following Burnham’s special election victory.
It’s unclear whether Burnham, who is due to be sworn in as a member of Parliament on Monday, will now face a coronation or a challenge. Starmer said nominations for a leadership contest will open on July 9, and the new leader will be in place by the time Parliament returns from its summer break on Sept. 1.
Wes Streeting, who resigned as health secretary last month to protest Starmer’s leadership, has said that he will run in a contest if there is one. But he may change his mind if enthusiasm for Burnham is overwhelming.
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