Starmer said that nominations to replace him as leader of the Labour Party, and thus prime minister, will open July 9 and close when Parliament breaks up for its summer recess July 16.<\/p>\n
If no challenger emerges to Burnham, he could be in office shortly after that. If there is a contest, Starmer said, a new leader will be chosen by Sept. 1. <\/p>\n
Starmer\u2019s \u201cdecision marks the beginning of a transition and it is important that this process is conducted in an orderly and responsible way,\u201d Burnham said in a statement. \u201cI will put myself forward as part of this process.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the few people who had been expected to challenge Burnham, former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, said Monday that he would in fact back his leadership bid.<\/p>\n
In an open letter, Streeting said he was convinced the former mayor could \u201cwin the fight of our lives against the forces of nationalism.\u201d<\/p>\n
Streeting resigned last month as the speculation swirling around Starmer reached fever pitch.<\/p>\n
Starmer\u2019s decision marks an astonishing fall for a leader who led his party to a landslide election victory in 2024, riding a wave of popular discontent against 14 years of right-wing Conservative rule. <\/p>\n
Before announcing his resignation, Starmer touted his achievements, including what he said was a stronger economy and higher wages, improvement in workers\u2019 rights, bigger defense budgets and lifting a million children out of poverty \u2014 all \u201cbecause of the choices that I made.\u201d <\/p>\n
But a series of bruising scandals hit him, while many of his own lawmakers blamed him for policy missteps that were deeply unpopular.<\/p>\n
Calls for Starmer to quit have intensified since May when, after two years in power, he led his party to one of its worst-ever performances<\/a> in local and regional elections, as Nigel Farage\u2019s hard-right Reform UK <\/a>made historic gains.<\/p>\n The leader\u2019s key rival within the party is Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, who had openly discussed plans to bring a leadership challenge. Burnham won a special election Thursday for a seat in Parliament, clearing a crucial hurdle for him to mount such a challenge.<\/p>\n Starmer had vowed to fight any contest but as reports spread over the weekend, President Donald Trump even weighed in. The prime minister \u201cfailed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cI wish him well!\u201d Trump wrote on Truth Social.<\/p>\n \u2018The change moment\u2019<\/p>\n Burnham, nicknamed the \u201cKing of the North\u201d for his forceful advocacy for northern England in his role as mayor, will be the overwhelming favorite to succeed Starmer with support from the party\u2019s MPs. <\/p>\n