Sir Keir Starmer announces resignation as Prime Minister
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced his resignation.
During a press conference held just moments ago (22 June), the Labour leader declared he'd be stepping down from the position.
"I know the question being asked now is not, 'Who was best placed to change the Labour party, to take us into power and to take the vital work of improving lives for millions of people?'" Starmer said. "Those questions have been answered.
"The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question. And I accept that answer with good grace.
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"Every decision I've taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party. I have spoken to His Majesty, the King, this morning to inform him of my decision."
He continued: "I will ask the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party to set out a timetable with nominations, opening on the 9th of July, and completed by the summer recess. In the case of a contest, this will ensure a new leader is in place before Parliament returns in September."
He announced he'll stay in office until a contest for the position 'is complete'.
"And I will do everything I can to ensure an orderly handover of power. I will also give my successor my full and unequivocal support. Knowing that they will inherit a Britain that is far stronger and fairer than the one I inherited two years ago."
The announcement comes after a cabinet minister revealed that the 63-year-old is reflecting on the 'political realities' after spending the weekend at his Chequers countryside retreat in the Chiltern Hills with his wife, Victoria.
Peter Kyle, the country's business secretary, told the press over the weekend he didn't want to 'be delusional that there is no process' and 'no forces at work' that will challenge Starmer's leadership.
Starmer has faced pressure to resign for several weeks, especially from over 100 Labour MPs who've demanded he step down.
The likes of Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander have privately told him his position is no longer tenable.
Much criticism has stemmed from Starmer's handling of the Iran war, which severely damaged relations with US President Donald Trump.
Donald Trump, the US president, subsequently weighed in on the situation on Sunday (21 Jun), writing on Truth Social: "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."
And on UK soil, his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador sparked severe backlash due to Mandelson's historical ties to disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andy Burnham has long been considered the favourite to replace Starmer on Downing Street.
The former Manchester mayor will appear in Westminster today to be sworn in as Makerfield's new MP following his win in last week's by-election, which provided him with a seat in Parliament and a direct launchpad to challenge Starmer for the leadership
The news of Starmer's resignation also comes weeks after Reform UK made major gains across the country in the local elections, with more than 1,500 Labour councillors voted out in England and another 1,000 shown the door in Wales and Scotland too.
Labour lost control of 38 councils in England back in May, while Nigel Farage's Reform party took over 1,400 seats, as well as 14 full councils.
The left-wing party also admitted defeat in the contest for the Welsh Senedd for the first time in over 100 years, with First Minister Eluned Morgan losing her seat, and in Scotland, the SNP held on to the reins as the country's largest party following 19 years in power.
Scotland's leader, Anas Sarwar, admitted his party has lost the argument for change and is 'hurting' following the defeat.
Starmer initially pledged to continue in his role as PM, telling attendees at a press conference following the results that, while the election had been 'tough' for Labour, 'days like this don’t weaken my resolve to deliver the change that I promised'.
Keir Starmer’s road to resignation: a timeline
Starmer’s premiership has been controversial from the off, in a government rife with U-turns on issues like the two-child benefit cap and pensioners’ winter fuel allowance.
But this is when the writing was truly on the wall for Starmer:
20 December 2024
Starmer appoints Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US, a decision he will come to regret.
28 January 2025
We didn’t know this at the time, but on this date, UK Security Vetting (UKSV) advises that Mandelson should be denied security clearance. The following day, the Foreign Office decides to ignore UKSV’s guidance.
1 July 2025
Starmer is forced into a significant U-turn on plans to cut welfare payments, and 49 MPs still vote against the amended bill. It’s the biggest rebellion of Starmer’s premiership, and exposes tensions between Labour MPs and No 10 which aren’t going to go away.
10 September 2025
Bloomberg publishes emails from Mandelson to Jeffrey Epstein advising him to ‘fight for early release’, sent in 2008, the day before he reported to jail after being convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor.
11 September 2025
Mandelson is sacked as US ambassador. That month, the Labour Party conference is dominated by rumours that Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is looking to mount a leadership challenge.
25 January 2026
Burnham is blocked from standing as an MP in the Gorton and Denton by-election, leading to further unrest within the Labour Party
30 January 2026
The US government releases the largest tranche of documents relating to Epstein so far. Emails within the files suggest Mandelson passed on sensitive government information to Epstein, and lobbied the Treasury on his behalf during his tenure as business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government. Labour MPs are furious about the revelations.
23 February 2026
Mandelson is arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
7 May 2026
A disastrous polling day for Labour, the worst local elections result for the party on record, losing almost 1,500 councillors in England, with Reform making huge gains.
9 May 2026
Labour MP Catherine West demands that a cabinet minister challenge Starmer for the leadership, or she will herself. She later backs down.
11 May 2026
It’s widely reported that four senior cabinet ministers, including Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, are telling Starmer to set out a timeline for his departure. Meanwhile, nearly 80 Labour MPs are thought to have signed Catherine West’s letter demanding Starmer resign. Starmer delivers a speech saying he’s ‘not walking away’, while admitting: “The British people are tired of a status quo that has failed them.”
12 May 2026
Four ministers - Jess Phillips, Miatta Fahnbulleh, Alex Davies-Jones and Zubir Ahmed - resign and call for Starmer to step down.
13 May 2026
Health Secretary Wes Streeting attends a meeting at Downing Street, which lasts just 20 minutes. His allies expect him to resign and launch a leadership contest.
14 May 2026
Streeting quits and calls for Starmer to resign. In his resignation letter, Streeting writes: “It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election and that Labour MPs and Labour Unions want the debate about what comes next to be a battle of ideas, not of personalities or petty factionalism.
“It needs to be broad, and it needs to be the best possible field of candidates. I support that approach and I hope you will continue to facilitate it.”
Makerfield MP Josh Simons stands down so Burnham can ‘fight to re-enter Parliament’.
Mid-late May 2026
Leadership speculation intensifies as attention turns to Starmer's potential successors, including Andy Burnham, and other senior Labour figures.
17 June
Speaking at the G7 summit in Evian, Starmer says he ‘intends to fight in any challenge to my leadership’.
He tells the BBC: “I don't think there should be a challenge, because I think that is a bad thing for the country.”
19 June
Burnham wins the Makerfield by-election and becomes an MP again. He says he will set out a ‘new path for Britain’.
Starmer congratulates Burnham but urges Labour to ‘pull together’ and avoid ‘turning on each other and tearing apart our party’. Starmer says that he ‘will stand’ if a leadership contest is triggered, adding that he will not ‘walk away’.
According to the BBC, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander advises the PM to set out a timetable to leave office.
Labour MP Jo White says Starmer should ‘consider his position very, very carefully’ and announce a ‘smooth transition’ on Monday (22 June).
21 June
US President Donald Trump chimes in and says Starmer ‘will resign’ in a post on Truth Social.
“He failed badly on two very important subjects - IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!),” he writes. As per the BBC, No. 10 says Starmer has not spoken to Trump.
22 June
Starmer announces his resignation as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party. Standing outside No 10, he says that becoming PM two years ago had been the ‘proudest moment of his life’ and talks about the ‘hard work of change’, listing off some of the achievements of his government during that time.
Topics: Keir Starmer, Politics, UK News, News
Rhianna Benson