Starmer to resign as UK prime minister

International Starmer to resign as UK prime minister Comments: by Max Rego - 06/22/26 9:11 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Max Rego - 06/22/26 9:11 AM ET Comments: Link copied

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday he will resign as leader of the Labour Party once a new leader is elected in the coming weeks.

Speaking in front of his residence at 10 Downing Street, Starmer said he will direct the Labour Party’s national executive committee to accept nominations in the race to succeed him from July 9 until the U.K. Parliament’s summer recess on July 16.

“In the case of a contest, this will ensure a new leader is in place before Parliament returns in September,” added Starmer, who said he informed King Charles III of his decision to step down.

“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.”

Starmer took office as prime minister in July 2024, ending 14 years of Conservative Party leadership in the U.K. But the British public’s view of him quickly soured — a recent Ipsos survey found that two-thirds of respondents believed Starmer should not lead Labour into the next general election.

The prime minister was mired by his appointment of Peter Mandelson as British ambassador to the U.S., whom Starmer later dismissed due to revelations about Mandelson’s ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Mandelson was charged earlier this year with suspicion of misconduct in public office in connection with his association to Epstein.

President Trump, who has criticized Starmer in recent months, said Sunday that Starmer was resigning.

The U.S. president wrote on Truth Social that his British counterpart “failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY.”

Starmer’s announcement also came days after Andy Burnham, a Labour member who served as mayor of Greater Manchester, won a special election for a parliamentary seat next week.

Burnham said Monday he will throw his name in the race to succeed Starmer.

“The country expects stability, seriousness and a continued focus on the issues that matter most and that is what it will get,” Burnham wrote on social platform X.

Starmer’s successor will be the sixth British prime minister since David Cameron stepped down following the country’s vote to leave the European Union in 2016. The next general election in the U.K. must occur by August 2029, but the prime minister can call it at any point before then.

During his Monday remarks, Starmer touted his work as prime minister to “change Britain for the better.” He highlighted the country’s economic and wage growth, improvements to the National Health Service, increases to defense spending and his government’s support for Ukraine amid its war against Russia.

“But I know the question being asked now is not who was best placed to change the Labour Party, to take us into power and to begin the vital work of improving lives for millions of people,” the prime minister noted. “Those questions have been answered.

“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.”

An emotional Starmer later praised his wife, Victoria Alexander, and said he will “spend more time being the best husband” he can and “best dad” he can to their two children. After finishing his speech, Starmer and his wife embraced and entered the prime minister’s residence.

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