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Starmer Resigns, Burnham Looms
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced he would resign as leader of the Labour Party, paving the way for Britain’s seventh prime minister in the decade since the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Starmer said, "that is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party," standing in front of 10 Downing Street as he described the question his parliamentary party was asking about whether he was "best placed to lead us into the next general election."
The resignation follows months of pressure over immigration, welfare, defense spending and Labour’s falling support in traditional working-class areas, where Nigel Farage’s Reform U.K. sought to cast itself as the voice of voters abandoned by both major parties.
Andy Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor who returned to parliament after defeating Reform in the Makerfield by-election, is now the front-runner to replace Starmer, with Labour leadership nominations due to open July 9.
The New York Times reported Starmer would remain prime minister until a new party leader is selected by September, rather than fight to remain in the job he won almost two years ago.
Trump’s Praise and Pressure
In the Oval Office, U.S. President Donald Trump offered mixed remarks about Starmer, praising him personally while criticizing British policies on energy, immigration and assistance during the Iran war.
Trump called Starmer a “lovely man” and “sort of a friend of mine,” while also saying, “You’re really messing up energy. You have windmills all over the place.”
Trump’s criticism extended to Starmer’s push-back to assisting the U.S. and Israel in its Iran war efforts, with Trump saying, “Starmer wasn't there, and the people of the UK did not like that he wasn't there.”
The Guardian reported that European Council president António Costa said, “For sure we need to postpone it, but we are reassessing the opportunity to hold this new summit …,” after Starmer’s resignation triggered the postponement of an EU-UK summit announced for 22 July.
The BBC framed the moment as a question of what Trump will want from the next UK prime minister, looking at the relationship between both leaders after disagreements on the war in Iran.
What’s at Stake Next
Starmer’s resignation threatens continuity on the international stage, with the EU-UK summit scheduled for 22 July postponed and European leaders paying tribute to Starmer as the transition reshapes diplomacy.
The Guardian reported that Ursula von der Leyen tweeted, “It can take many leaders years to grow into the statesman you became in just two years,” and that António Costa said his wish was that Starmer’s successor would give continuity on the path to reset relations with the UK.
The Guardian also said Starmer is expected to attend an E5 meeting on Wednesday in Berlin, where Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Poland will prepare for the Nato summit in Ankara on 7-8 July.
In the U.S.-Iran context, NBC News said the U.S. and Iran established a road map for reaching a final deal within 60 days during talks in Switzerland, with officials from the U.S. including Vice President JD Vance present alongside Iran and mediating nations Qatar and Pakistan.
NBC News added that Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on X that the meeting delivered “major progress to end [the] Lebanon War,” while Trump had posted on Truth Social that “we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” unless Iran stops “their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon,” referring to Hezbollah.
