Starmer made the announcement on Monday, confirming that he would step down as both Labour leader and Prime Minister. His decision follows increasing pressure after Labour suffered significant setbacks in local elections held in May, while criticism from within his own party over his leadership and policy direction continued to intensify.
The resignation comes less than two years after Starmer led Labour to a commanding victory in the 2024 general election, securing one of the party’s largest parliamentary majorities in recent history.
Speaking outside 10 Downing Street in London shortly after 9:30 a.m., Starmer said he would remain in office until a new Labour leader is chosen, allowing for what he described as an orderly transition of power.
Reflecting on his time in government, he said every decision he had taken while in office was aimed at “putting the country I love first”.
The outgoing prime minister also paid tribute to his wife, saying, “fantastic wife, Vic”, describing her as a “rock”.
Speaking about his family, Starmer added that he wants to be the “best dad I can to my beautiful children, who are my pride and joy”.
His resignation comes as veteran Labour figure Andy Burnham prepares to return to Parliament after winning a crucial by-election, a development widely seen as paving the way for a leadership bid. Under Labour Party rules, anyone seeking to lead the party must be a sitting Member of Parliament.
Britain is now set to welcome its seventh prime minister in just ten years, marking an unprecedented level of political turnover in the country’s modern era.
The 63-year-old former lawyer had previously insisted he would resist any efforts to force him from office. However, Burnham’s decisive victory in the northwest Makerfield constituency by-election appears to have altered the political landscape and prompted a reassessment of his position over the weekend.
Even Donald Trump weighed in on the developments. Writing on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump predicted Starmer’s departure, stating, “Keir Starmer will resign”.
Trump, whose relationship with Starmer reportedly deteriorated following disagreements linked to the Iran conflict, criticised the British leader’s handling of immigration and energy policies before adding, “I wish him well.”
Burnham, who has served as Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017, has already signalled his intention to seek Labour’s leadership. During his by-election victory speech, he warned that the governing party had a “final chance to change”.
Reports indicate that Starmer spent the weekend with his family at the prime ministerial retreat of Chequers, where he held discussions with close allies as speculation over his future intensified.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle told Sky News that the prime minister was “making time to reflect on the political realities, challenges and opportunities that he finds himself in”.
Before the resignation announcement, media reports suggested that Starmer and members of his inner circle had already begun preparing a resignation speech. The expectation had been that he would remain in office until after the summer before formally handing over power to a successor at Labour’s annual conference in September.
According to reports, senior government figures, including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, were among those urging him to step aside, while more than 100 Labour MPs were said to have called for his resignation.
Starmer, who became prime minister in July 2024, had faced mounting political difficulties throughout his tenure, including policy reversals, controversies, ministerial departures and growing dissatisfaction among voters.