Keir Starmer Resigns as Labour Forces Exit After Andy Burnham Oath in Parliament

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday he will resign, forced out by his own party after missteps and mistakes soured voters’ goodwill following a landslide election victory two years ago on a promise of steady leadership and economic growth.

“Toggle Play Why has Keir Starmer resigned as UK prime minister”

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Starmer said he will remain caretaker prime minister until his Labour Party chooses a new leader, with expectations growing that it will be former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

Al Jazeera

Burnham confirmed on social media that "I will put myself forward as part of this process," and AP said Burnham’s victory in a special parliamentary election last week triggered Starmer’s decision to resign.

After nearly a decade as mayor of the northwestern city, Burnham returned Monday to Parliament, where he took the oath of office in the House of Commons.

AP also said Starmer made his announcement outside his official residence, where he delivered his first speech as prime minister two years ago, and his voice choked with emotion near the end of the brief statement.

BBC Politics reported that one source working on policy for Andy Burnham described preparations for taking over Downing Street as "not very ready," and said prospective cabinet ministers and advisers could be picked before then and put through "accession talks" in August.

The BBC also quoted a Burnham inner-circle view that "the timetable is the timetable, we don't have a choice, he becomes PM in July if he's the only candidate" and said the timetable for a leadership contest is decided by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee.

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AP said Starmer’s statement came the day before Britain marks the 10th anniversary of its vote to leave the European Union, and it said nominations for a leadership contest will open July 9 and the new leader will be in place by the time Parliament returns from summer break on Sept. 1.

AP further said only members of Parliament are eligible for the party leadership, and it described Burnham being cheered loudly by lawmakers and heckled by one who shouted "He’s not the Messiah!" as he was sworn in.

The BBC added that policy work has been under way for weeks in areas such as housing and transport, while Burnham’s allies accept there’s been less developed thinking when it comes to defence, energy and welfare.

The Guardian said European leaders paid tribute to Keir Starmer after he announced his resignation as the British prime minister, triggering the postponement of an EU-UK summit.

“Jack Fenwick, Henry Zeffman, Harry Farley and Nick Eardley BBC Politics One source who has been working on policy for Andy Burnham for a number of months described their preparations for taking over Downing Street as "not very ready", and said they could still try to keep Starmer in place until the autumn, even if there is no leadership contest”

BBC

The Guardian quoted European Council president António Costa saying, "For sure we need to postpone it, but we are reassessing the opportunity to hold this new summit …" and it said Ursula von der Leyen tweeted: "European and Ukrainian security is stronger because of you."

The Guardian reported that Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Starmer for "all our cooperation, your support, and the joint decisions that have helped make our Europe and our protection of life stronger," while also saying: "Keir, you are always a welcome guest in Ukraine."

It also said the Kremlin’s chief spokesperson said Starmer had "not done anything to distinguish himself on the issue of British-Russia relations" and that it was unlikely anyone on the British political scene would take a different position.

Separately, RBC-Ukraine framed the stakes for Britain’s next PM by saying the new prime minister is a consistent supporter of Ukraine but that there is a risk of shifting priorities toward domestic issues.