Keir Starmer announced his resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on Monday morning less than two years after he rose to that position. He is the 6th Prime Minister the UK has had in 10 years. His resignation is expected to clear the way for Andy Burnham, former mayor for Greater Manchester, to take his place. Burnham is also of the Labour Party and won an election to serve as MP from Makersfield.
The 63-year-old Starmer, dubbed "two-tier Kier" over his handling and commentary on violent crimes committed by migrants versus allegedly criminal social media posts by his own countrymen, had been facing pressure to step down from inside his own party. Local elections in May saw the Labour Party lose over 1,000 seats as gains were made by nationalist parties, such as Reform, led by Nigel Farage. “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace,” Starmer said on Monday morning.
"Every decision I’ve taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party. I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision," he added.
He thanked his wife Victoria for being his "rock" both in "good times and bad" as he announced his resignation. “When I leave the biggest job in the country, I shall spend more time on the most important job, being the best husband I can to my fantastic wife Vic,” he added. “And being the best dad I can to my beautiful children who are my pride and joy.”
Calls for Starmer to step down have intensified over the past month as the Labour Party has faced devastating electoral defeats against Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party. “Starmer isn’t the first Prime Minister I’ve deposed," Farage said in a Substack post on Monday, "and he won’t be the last. David Cameron. Theresa May. Rishi Sunak. And next up – Andy Burnham. The reason each leader has failed is the same."
“What the political class fails to understand is that the electorate won’t accept being taken for fools. They cannot continue to take the votes of the people who supported them for granted, only to betray them upon having gained power. Politics is about trust," he added. That is why I am calling for a general election at the soonest possible date. You know as well as I do that the country cannot afford to waste another week drifting from crisis to crisis. That’s why millions of you turned out in the local elections to vote for Reform councillors, and it’s why we have led in more than 300 opinion polls for well over a year.”
Burnham won his by-election last week to become MP for Makerfield in the north west of England, of a pro-Brexit region of the country. Polling has shown that Starmer would face defeat if he were to face Burnham in a leadership contest.
The 63-year-old Starmer, dubbed "two-tier Kier" over his handling and commentary on violent crimes committed by migrants versus allegedly criminal social media posts by his own countrymen, had been facing pressure to step down from inside his own party. Local elections in May saw the Labour Party lose over 1,000 seats as gains were made by nationalist parties, such as Reform, led by Nigel Farage. “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace,” Starmer said on Monday morning.
"Every decision I’ve taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party. I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision," he added.
He thanked his wife Victoria for being his "rock" both in "good times and bad" as he announced his resignation. “When I leave the biggest job in the country, I shall spend more time on the most important job, being the best husband I can to my fantastic wife Vic,” he added. “And being the best dad I can to my beautiful children who are my pride and joy.”
Calls for Starmer to step down have intensified over the past month as the Labour Party has faced devastating electoral defeats against Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party. “Starmer isn’t the first Prime Minister I’ve deposed," Farage said in a Substack post on Monday, "and he won’t be the last. David Cameron. Theresa May. Rishi Sunak. And next up – Andy Burnham. The reason each leader has failed is the same."
“What the political class fails to understand is that the electorate won’t accept being taken for fools. They cannot continue to take the votes of the people who supported them for granted, only to betray them upon having gained power. Politics is about trust," he added. That is why I am calling for a general election at the soonest possible date. You know as well as I do that the country cannot afford to waste another week drifting from crisis to crisis. That’s why millions of you turned out in the local elections to vote for Reform councillors, and it’s why we have led in more than 300 opinion polls for well over a year.”
Burnham won his by-election last week to become MP for Makerfield in the north west of England, of a pro-Brexit region of the country. Polling has shown that Starmer would face defeat if he were to face Burnham in a leadership contest.
