Why did Keir Starmer really resign as British Prime Minister?

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he was stepping down after facing months of mounting pressure, setting in motion a leadership contest that will result in Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade, AFP reported.

Starmer, who has been prime minister since July 2024, admitted in a speech outside 10 Downing Street that he no longer had the confidence of Labor lawmakers.

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He said he informed King Charles III of his resignation, allowing the Labor Party to choose a new leader who would then become the country’s next prime minister.

Here’s what Starmer had to say

“I will remain as Prime Minister until the contest is completed and will do everything in my power to ensure an orderly transfer of power,” he said.

Starmer’s power has been on the wane since Labor suffered heavy losses in May’s local and regional elections.

The pressure intensified after it was confirmed last week that his political rival Andy Burnham would return to parliament, setting the stage for what many expected to be a challenge for the party leadership.

Burnham, a veteran Labor politician, is expected to take his seat in the House of Commons later on Monday after winning a parliamentary by-election in Makerfield, northwest England, on Thursday, AFP reported.

“The question my party is now asking is whether I am in the best position to lead us into the next general election,” Starmer said as senior ministerial colleagues looked on.

“I have heard my parliamentary party’s answer to this question and I accept that answer with good humility. Every decision I have made has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I am resigning as leader of the Labor Party,” he added, choking up in an emotional speech.

Starmer said he had asked Labour’s National Executive Committee to set a timetable for his replacement, with nominations due to open on July 9.

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“This will ensure that a new leader is in place before parliament returns in September” after the summer break, he explained.

Attention now turns to whether Burnham will become leader without a contest, as many Labor MPs have called for, or whether another candidate, such as former health secretary Wes Streeting, will decide to run as well.

Under Labor rules, the leader of a centre-left party must be a member of parliament.

The pressure had been building for months

Whoever replaces Keir Starmer will become Britain’s seventh prime minister since the 2016 Brexit referendum, underscoring a decade of political instability, Reuters reported.

Such a rapid turnover of leaders – Britain’s highest for almost 200 years – reflects the difficulties governments have faced in maintaining public support amid frustration over stagnant living standards, strained public services and fears of illegal immigration.

Read also | Will Starmer be sent off? Labor MPs turn on UK PM after Andy Burnham gains momentum

Pressure on Starmer, which had been building for months, intensified significantly on Friday when Andy Burnham secured a landslide victory in a parliamentary by-election and returned to Westminster after defeating a candidate from Reform UK, the party led by Nigel Farage that has topped national opinion polls for more than a year.

The result boosted hopes among Labor MPs that Andy Burnham, a seasoned politician widely regarded for his communication skills, could revive a party that has seen its support slide under Keir Starmer. Starmer’s popularity has fallen to a record low for a British prime minister.

Financial markets reacted calmly to the announcement of Starmer’s resignation, with the pound and British government bonds showing little movement as investors largely anticipated the decision.

As Labor seeks an orderly transition of power, a change in leadership still carries significant political risks.

If other contenders join the leadership race, Labor could face a bitter and divisive contest that could distract the party and disrupt the government’s work.

According to a Sky News report, former health secretary Wes Streeting is still expected to enter the leadership contest, citing a close ally.

Meanwhile, Andy Burnham, who is due to arrive in London on Monday after winning the parliamentary seat of Makerfield in northwest England, has yet to outline a comprehensive political platform, Reuters reported.

Burnham did not state his vision for government

As well as arguing that Britain needs sweeping reforms and pledging to ease the cost of living, Andy Burnham gave few details of his positions on key issues such as foreign policy, economic strategy and national defence.

Like Keir Starmer, Burnham may find his options limited by financial markets wary of increased government borrowing, while also facing pressure from voters who feel the country is not meeting their expectations and needs, Reuters reported.

Britain already has the highest borrowing costs of the wealthy Group of Seven countries due to high debt and interest payments, years of anemic economic growth, spending cuts and the need to invest in areas such as defence.

Investors spoken to by Reuters were divided on whether Burnham, who said last September that Britain needed to get “beyond being on the heels of the bond markets”, would respect the need to calm markets.

He has since said he was misrepresented.

(With input from agencies)