British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday he is stepping down as leader of the governing Labour Party and will leave office within weeks, scarcely two years after being elected in a landslide.
Starmer says he will remain caretaker prime minister until a new Labour leader is chosen by the party. Starmer is the sixth prime minister in a decade to announce a premature departure. Read Starmer’s full resignation speech.
Starmer made the announcement after facing growing pressure to hand over to a new leader who can try to revive the government’s flagging fortunes. He led Labour to a landslide election victory in July 2024, but since then his popularity and that of the party have plummeted.
The formal contest to replace Starmer will begin in early July and could end in a matter of days. Starmer said Monday that nominations will open on July 9 and close when Parliament breaks up for its summer recess, which is scheduled to begin July 16.
The contest will be open to members of Parliament from the ruling Labour Party.
Former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham confirmed Monday that he will run to succeed Keir Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister.
Starmer said he would stay in post as prime minister until his successor is in place.
Should Burnham be the only candidate, then he could be confirmed as party leader a week or so later. However, if there is a contest, then the election would likely drag on into September.
Burnham has won the support of Wes Streeting, who quit as health secretary last month and had previously indicated he would throw his hat in the ring. Streeting said he would back Burnham for the Labour leadership, saying “he can win the fight of our lives against the forces of nationalism,” a reference to the anti-immigration Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, that has overtaken Labour in the opinion polls since the July 2024 general election.
Other potential candidates have yet to comment on Starmer’s announcement. They include Starmer’s former deputy, Angela Rayner, who resigned last September over an unpaid property tax, and Al Carns, who resigned last week as the armed forces minister over Starmer’s funding plans for national defense.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.