UK PM Keir Starmer to resign on Monday, sets timetable for departure: Report | Today’s news
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, struggling to hold his government together amid a growing internal leadership crisis and collapsing public support, is likely to step down on Monday, June 22, according to a British media report. According to Britain’s Observer newspaper, Starmer was expected to resign on Monday and set a timetable for his departure.
Starmer discussed the matter with his wife at his country residence in Checkers before making a final decision, but according to The Observer, senior Labor figures expected a clear statement on his future as early as Monday.
Starmer, from landslide victory to power struggle
Starmer, who became Britain’s prime minister in July 2024 after a Labor Party landslide victory that ended 14 years of Conservative rule, has since failed to keep up the pace.
In the nearly two years since then, Starmer has become deeply unpopular thanks to a series of scandals and political U-turns that have left many voters with a general impression that he cannot deliver the improvements in their living standards that he promised.
More than 100 elected lawmakers in Starmer’s party – roughly a quarter of all Labor MPs in the House of Commons – have publicly said they want him to leave or set a timetable for his departure, according to Reuters statistics.
Starmer’s challenger to enter Parliament
The latest blow came on Friday, when his rival Andy Burnham won a seat in parliament, allowing him to launch a formal leadership challenge.
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Burnham, a 56-year-old career politician, is seen by many in the Labor team as the most likely successor to Starmer – either through a negotiated handover or a formal leadership contest.
Who is Andy Burnham?
As mayor of Greater Manchester in northern England, he has built a power base in the Labor region and comfortably saw off a threat from Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist party to win the vacant parliamentary seat on Friday.
Burnham did not immediately challenge Starmer, but used his victory speech to promise a new path for the country. His allies urged Starmer to agree to step down and hand over power voluntarily.
Burnham, who joined the Labor Party as a teenager, attended Cambridge University and was first elected to Parliament in 2001. He was a lawmaker for a decade and a half, campaigning under Prime Minister Tony Blair and serving in Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s cabinet from 2007 to 2010.
He ran for the leadership of the Labor Party twice, in 2010 and 2015, losing each time, before leaving Westminster to run for mayor of Manchester.
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During his time in office, he was nicknamed the King of the North, a “Game of Thrones” inspired nod to both his struggle for his home region and his thinly veiled political ambitions.
Burnham has led the Greater Manchester region since 2017, overseeing the rapid regeneration of the Industrial Revolution city. The city center is experiencing a boom and skyscrapers are blooming on vacant post-industrial sites. Many residents praise him for his contribution to the city. He took the piecemeal public transport system under public control, branded it the Bee Network and improved its services.
According to a report by The Observer, after speaking to government ministers, advisers, donors and union leaders, Starmer concluded that his position was no longer tenable.
Key things
- Starmer’s resignation suggests deep-seated problems in the Labor party, reflecting challenges in maintaining public support.
- The emergence of Andy Burnham as a potential successor illustrates the shift towards new leadership and perspectives in Labour.
- The dynamics of party politics reveal power struggles and the urgency of a change in leadership amid declining popularity.
