British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as leader of the Labour Party after less than two years in office.
Speaking outside 10 Downing Street on Monday, June 22, an emotional Starmer said he had always acted in what he believed were the country’s best interests.
“Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party,” he said.
Starmer said the Labour Party would begin the process of selecting a new leader in July and confirmed that he would remain Prime Minister until a successor is chosen before Parliament returns from its summer recess in September.
“I will remain in post as Prime Minister until the contest is complete, and I will do everything I can to ensure an orderly handover of power,” he added.
The announcement came after months of mounting pressure on Starmer’s leadership, fuelled by a series of scandals, high-profile resignations and growing dissatisfaction within the party. Until the weekend, he had insisted he would remain in office and fight off calls to step down.
Attention has now turned to veteran politician Andy Burnham, who returned to Parliament after winning a crucial by-election on Thursday, strengthening expectations that he could emerge as a leading contender for the Labour leadership.
Starmer’s departure means Britain is on course to have its seventh Prime Minister in a decade, underscoring a period of prolonged political instability that began after the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Although Starmer was credited with rebuilding Labour and leading the party to a decisive election victory in 2024, ending 14 years of Conservative rule, his government struggled to maintain public support.
His administration faced criticism over welfare reforms, defence spending plans and a controversial diplomatic appointment involving Peter Mandelson, which triggered calls for his removal earlier this year.
Starmer also faced increasing pressure from the rising popularity of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, which made significant gains in local elections in May.
In his farewell remarks, Starmer pledged his full support for his successor.
“I will also give my successor my full and unequivocal support, knowing that they will inherit a Britain that is far stronger and fairer than the one I inherited two years ago,” he said.
In 2024, Starmer won the biggest parliamentary majority for Labour since 1997 after 14 years of Conservative-led government.
But opinion polls have shown the 63-year-old Labour Party leader and former lawyer is deeply unpopular with voters after a series of policy missteps and scandals.
This led to mounting pressure from his own Labour Party on him to quit following the decisive by-election win by his rival, Andy Burnham, to claim a parliamentary seat in North-West England.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.