Starmer and his government took a roasting from Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, who reeled off a list of alleged failures and said the Labour Party had betrayed and abandoned Starmer for Burnham, whom she joked was just \u201ca pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starmer said he was proud of his record, arguing that he had worked to reverse years of austerity under the Conservatives.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe test for every prime minister is handing over this country in better shape than you found it,\u201d he said. \u201cI know I can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Jones, a Starmer ally, had been encouraged to run so that\u00a0Burnham\u00a0faces a test of his ideas and policies in front of Labour lawmakers and members. Others argue that a leadership contest will only focus attention on the party\u2019s internal divisions and extend a period of political uncertainty.<\/p>\n Jones told Sky News that running for the leadership is \u201cnot something that I\u2019m going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n But he cautioned Burnham against veering too far to the left in economic policy, a concern of some in the business and financial worlds. Burnham is expected to choose a new Treasury chief to replace\u00a0Starmer appointee Rachel Reeves. Jones said it must be someone \u201cthat can reassure the markets, reassure the trade unions and reassure the parliamentary Labour Party, and by extension the public.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Burnham is expected to make a speech next week outlining some of his economic plans.<\/p>\n Starmer is leaving after\u00a0two years\u00a0in office marred by missteps and judgment errors that eroded his standing with his party and the public.<\/p>\n Burnham, a former Cabinet minister who served since 2017 as mayor of Greater Manchester, won a\u00a0special election\u00a0last week for a seat in Parliament with the express aim of challenging Starmer for leadership of the Labour Party and the country.<\/p>\n So far, he faces no challengers. Former Health Secretary\u00a0Wes Streeting, who was considered his main rival, says he will back Burnham.<\/p>\n Nominations for the Labour leadership will open on July 9 and close a week later. If Burnham is the only contender, he could be prime minister by July 17. If there is a contest, the winner should be in place by the time Parliament returns from its summer break on September 1.<\/p>\n Starmer told the weekly meeting of his Cabinet on Tuesday that he will try to oversee an \u201corderly transition\u201d to his successor.<\/p>\n He is also keeping up a busy schedule, trying to cement a legacy for his shortened term in office. However, he is not allowed to make new major policy announcements or spending commitments during what remains of his premiership.<\/p>\n \t Starmer\u2019s trip to Berlin for a meeting of the \u201cE5\u201d \u2013 Germany, France, Italy, Poland and the UK\u2013 for talks on European defense, the war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East, underscores the role he has played on the world stage. He has appeared more sure-footed in working with allies to support Kyiv and deal with fallout from the Iran war than he has on the home front.<\/p>\n The British government is expected to publish a long-awaited defense investment plan \u2014 which sparked the\u00a0resignation of Defense Secretary John Healey\u00a0on June 11 \u2014 before a NATO summit in Turkey on July 7 and 8 that Starmer is likely to attend.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tBritain\u2019s Prime Minister Keir Starmer departs 10 Downing Street to attend the House of Commons for his weekly Prime Minister\u2019s Questions in London, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Alastair Grant)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26132312460251-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tBritain\u2019s Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones arrives for a cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo\/Kirsty Wigglesworth)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AFP__20250625__63R999B__v1__HighRes__NetherlandsNatoSummitDefenceDiplomacy-e1755492219391-640x400.jp.jpeg\")
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\n\t\t(Clockwise From L) France\u2019s President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Italy\u2019s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Britain\u2019s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelensky, Poland\u2019s Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Germany\u2019s Chancellor Friedrich Merz take part in a meeting between the NATO Secretary General, the president of Ukraine, and leaders of E5 countries during a NATO Heads of State and Government summit in The Hague on June 25, 2025. (Ludovic MARIN \/ POOL \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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