Keir Starmer resigns as British Prime Minister with Andy Burnham poised to take over

Keir Starmer has announced he will resign as British Prime Minister less than two years after coming to power.

In a statement outside 10 Downing Street, Starmer said his party had asked: “whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election”.

He said: “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.”

Starmer’s emotional statement followed a weekend spent mulling his future with his family at Chequers, the British Prime Minister’s country residence.

While his decision remained unclear early on Monday, ministerial allies and Number 10 staff gathered in Downing Street shortly before 9.30am in an indication Starmer was preparing to announce his resignation.

Starmer’s decision to stand down means the British Labour Party will now hold a contest to choose his successor, with Andy Burnham seen as the frontrunner.

The former Greater Manchester mayor is expected to arrive in Westminster to be sworn in as an MP on Monday afternoon after winning the Makerfield by-election.

Former British health secretary Wes Streeting is also expected to put himself forward as a candidate.

Starmer said he would ask Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) to set out a timetable that would see a new leader in place by the time Parliament returns from its summer recess on September 1st.

He said nominations would open on July 9th, the day after he is expected to return from a Nato summit in Turkey, and close to the start of the summer recess on July 16th.

Starmer’s decision to quit means the UK will now have its seventh prime minister in a decade.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called for a general election in the wake of Starmer’s resignation, tweeting: “If Labour thinks it can shove another professional politician into No 10, it has another thing coming.”

Other opposition figures stopped short of demanding an election, but urged Starmer’s successor to be bold.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said: “Whoever becomes prime minister needs to drop the caution and complacency and show the ambition our country deserves.”

Green leader Zack Polanski said the country needed “a bold change of direction”, adding: “The time for half measures and sticking plasters is long gone – if he becomes the next PM, Burnham must be bold or he will be bust.”