Keir Starmer announces he'll resign as UK prime minister, kicking off
contest for Labour successor
[June 22, 2026]
By JILL LAWLESS
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday he is
stepping down as leader of the governing Labour Party and will leave
office within weeks, forced out by his own party scarcely two years
after being elected in a landslide.
Starmer says he will remain caretaker prime minister until the party
chooses a new Labour leader — with expectations that it will be former
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. Burnham, who won a special
parliamentary election last week, ran with the aim of challenging
Starmer for leadership of the party and the country.
Starmer is the sixth prime minister in a decade to stand outside 10
Downing Street and announce a premature departure. His statement comes
the day before Britain marks the 10th anniversary of its vote to leave
the European Union, a decision that still roils the country’s economy
and politics.
After weeks of insisting he would fight to keep his job, Starmer
conceded to growing pressure to hand over to a new leader who can try
and 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.
A new leader in place within weeks
Starmer made the announcement outside his official 10 Downing St.
residence, the spot where he delivered his first speech as prime
minister two years ago.
His voice choked with emotion near the end of the brief statement, which
was watched by a group of staff, Cabinet ministers and scores of
journalists.
“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead
us into the next general election,” Starmer said. “I have heard the
answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that
answer with good grace.”
He said he spoke to King Charles III, Britain's constitutional monarch,
to inform him of the decision.
Starmer spent the weekend pondering his future following Burnham's
special election victory.
It’s unclear whether Burnham, who is due to be sworn in as a member of
Parliament on Monday, will now face a coronation or a challenge. Starmer
said nominations for a leadership contest will open on July 9, and the
new leader will be in place by the time Parliament returns from its
summer break on Sept. 1.
Wes Streeting, who resigned as health secretary last month to protest
Starmer’s leadership, has said that he will run in a contest if there is
one. But he may change his mind if enthusiasm for Burnham is
overwhelming.
Starmer struggled to fulfill election pledges
Starmer has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair
tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and has been
hamstrung by repeated missteps, including his decision to appoint Peter
Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as the U.K.
ambassador to the United States.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to members of the media
in Rome, Sept. 16, 2024. (Phil Noble/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Labour is losing liberal voters to the growing Green Party and
facing a rising Reform UK, the Nigel Farage -led anti-immigration
party that consistently leads in nationwide opinion polls.
U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in even before an announcement,
linking Starmer’s potential exit to two of his recurring bugbears:
immigration and renewable energy.
“Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom.
He failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND
ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well! President DJT,” Trump
posted on his social media platform.
Starmer’s initially warm relationship with the president has soured
in recent months over issues including the Iran war, which the U.K.
didn’t join.
He won praise on the world stage
In contrast to missteps on the domestic front, Starmer has won
praise for his international role, notably in rallying European
support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, and
working to mitigate the economic and political turmoil unleashed by
the Iran conflict.
A NATO summit in Turkey next month may be his last foray on the
world stage as Britain's leader.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised Starmer’s
legacy.
“It can take many leaders years to grow into the statesman you
became in just two years,” she said on X. “European and Ukrainian
security is stronger because of you. Thank you, dear Keir.”
While many Labour lawmakers have rallied behind Burnham, some have
said that Starmer had been treated unfairly. London legislator Neil
Coyle railed on X against “the prospect of an utter stitch-up & the
media circus being rewarded.
“When the next leader cannot change Trump, Iran, Ukraine, Putin,
Musk, broadcast editorial & algorithm bias overnight they’ll bay for
his blood too. Better keep that guillotine sharp,” he wrote.
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Associated Press writers Danica Kirka in London and Sam McNeil in
Brussels contributed to this story.
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