{"id":651940,"date":"2026-06-22T09:38:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T09:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/651940\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T09:38:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T09:38:10","slug":"keir-starmer-resigns-as-u-k-prime-minister-but-will-stay-on-until-successor-is-chosen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/651940\/","title":{"rendered":"Keir Starmer resigns as U.K. prime minister but will stay on until successor is chosen"},"content":{"rendered":"

LONDON (AP) \u2014 British Prime Minister\u00a0Keir Starmer<\/a>\u00a0said 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.<\/p>\n

Starmer says he will remain caretaker prime minister until the party chooses a new Labour leader \u2014 with expectations that it will be former Greater Manchester Mayor\u00a0Andy Burnham<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s flagging fortunes. He led Labour to a\u00a0landslide election victory<\/a>\u00a0in July 2024, but since then his popularity and that of the party have plummeted.<\/p>\n

Burnham, who won a special parliamentary election last week, ran with the aim of\u00a0challenging Starmer<\/a>\u00a0for leadership of the party and the country.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,\u201d Starmer said. \u201cI have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starmer said he had spoken to King Charles III, Britain\u2019s constitutional monarch, to inform him of the decision.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0vote to leave the European Union<\/a>, a decision that still\u00a0roils the country\u2019s economy<\/a>\u00a0and politics.<\/p>\n

Starmer spent the weekend pondering his future following Burnham\u2019s\u00a0special election<\/a>\u00a0victory.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Wes Streeting<\/a>, who resigned as health secretary last month to protest Starmer\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\tRecommended<\/p>\n

\"MS<\/p>\n

\u00a9\u00a02026 Versant Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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