Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called for an immediate general election after Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced he would resign as Labour leader and remain in office only until a successor is chosen.
Farage, whose party has topped hundreds of opinion polls over the past year, according to GB News, made the case for a national vote in a 1400-word essay published shortly after Starmer confirmed his plans to step down.
Farage described Starmer as "the most incompetent Prime Minister this country has ever had the misfortune of having" and claimed he had effectively "deposed" him. Farage also argued he had previously helped bring down several Conservative prime ministers, including David Cameron, Theresa May, and Rishi Sunak.
The Reform UK leader directed much of his criticism at Andy Burnham, who is widely viewed by senior Labour figures as a leading contender to replace Starmer. Burnham recently won the Makerfield by-election and has emerged as a prominent figure in the race to succeed the prime minister.
Farage wrote: "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. The British public have made their voices clear in May this year and last: Britain is broken and they want a radical reforming government that will fundamentally fix our country.
"But instead, Westminster wants to crown Andy Burnham off the back of a single by-election."
Referring to Burnham's victory in Makerfield, Farage accused the Labour politician of borrowing Reform UK's message and said: "I’m not frightened of Andy Burnham or any of the other Labour Party stooges.
"The same applies to Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative Party, who oppose a General Election and seem to think that it is perfectly acceptable to chop and change Prime Ministers at will. This is how the uniparty operates. The truth is that they are frightened of us.
"That’s why they band together at every by-election to attempt to block us from victory, why they tried to cancel the local elections and why they’ll try their very hardest to hold off on a general election for as long as possible."
There is no constitutional requirement for a general election following a change in prime minister. Previous leaders, including prime ministers Gordon Brown and Sir John Major, both entered Downing Street without immediately seeking a fresh mandate from the UK public.
Labour minister Mike Tapp backed the idea of requiring a public vote when a governing party changes its leader. He said: "That would stop the constant churn and focus all politicians on delivery instead of workplace politics.
"These endless ‘house of cards’ games would end and the country would benefit. Let’s legislate to focus minds."
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch stopped short of demanding an immediate election but said one should be held if Burnham cannot outline a defense funding strategy.
She said: "We should have a general election if Andy Burnham is not able to set out how he is going to keep our country safe. I have made an offer to Andy Burnham, saying I will help him with 170 Conservative votes, because we know that the Labour Party is now the welfare party. Most of their backbenchers only care about welfare, not defence, so I'm happy to work with him on that."
Starmer announced his resignation from the steps of Downing Street, saying: “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. I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision. I will ask the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party with nominations opening on July 9 and completed by the summer recess. In the case of a contest, this will ensure a new leader is in place before Parliament returns 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," Starmer said.
Farage, whose party has topped hundreds of opinion polls over the past year, according to GB News, made the case for a national vote in a 1400-word essay published shortly after Starmer confirmed his plans to step down.
Farage described Starmer as "the most incompetent Prime Minister this country has ever had the misfortune of having" and claimed he had effectively "deposed" him. Farage also argued he had previously helped bring down several Conservative prime ministers, including David Cameron, Theresa May, and Rishi Sunak.
The Reform UK leader directed much of his criticism at Andy Burnham, who is widely viewed by senior Labour figures as a leading contender to replace Starmer. Burnham recently won the Makerfield by-election and has emerged as a prominent figure in the race to succeed the prime minister.
Farage wrote: "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. The British public have made their voices clear in May this year and last: Britain is broken and they want a radical reforming government that will fundamentally fix our country.
"But instead, Westminster wants to crown Andy Burnham off the back of a single by-election."
Referring to Burnham's victory in Makerfield, Farage accused the Labour politician of borrowing Reform UK's message and said: "I’m not frightened of Andy Burnham or any of the other Labour Party stooges.
"The same applies to Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative Party, who oppose a General Election and seem to think that it is perfectly acceptable to chop and change Prime Ministers at will. This is how the uniparty operates. The truth is that they are frightened of us.
"That’s why they band together at every by-election to attempt to block us from victory, why they tried to cancel the local elections and why they’ll try their very hardest to hold off on a general election for as long as possible."
There is no constitutional requirement for a general election following a change in prime minister. Previous leaders, including prime ministers Gordon Brown and Sir John Major, both entered Downing Street without immediately seeking a fresh mandate from the UK public.
Labour minister Mike Tapp backed the idea of requiring a public vote when a governing party changes its leader. He said: "That would stop the constant churn and focus all politicians on delivery instead of workplace politics.
"These endless ‘house of cards’ games would end and the country would benefit. Let’s legislate to focus minds."
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch stopped short of demanding an immediate election but said one should be held if Burnham cannot outline a defense funding strategy.
She said: "We should have a general election if Andy Burnham is not able to set out how he is going to keep our country safe. I have made an offer to Andy Burnham, saying I will help him with 170 Conservative votes, because we know that the Labour Party is now the welfare party. Most of their backbenchers only care about welfare, not defence, so I'm happy to work with him on that."
Starmer announced his resignation from the steps of Downing Street, saying: “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. I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision. I will ask the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party with nominations opening on July 9 and completed by the summer recess. In the case of a contest, this will ensure a new leader is in place before Parliament returns 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," Starmer said.
