Starmer to Quit as Labour Leader and PM After 2 Years, Triggers Leadership Race

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced he will resign as Labour Party leader and step down as Prime Minister, ending a turbulent tenure of less than two years.

Speaking outside 10 Downing Street on Monday, a visibly emotional Starmer said his decision was guided by national interest: “Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party.”

Starmer confirmed the contest to choose his successor will begin in July. He will remain Prime Minister until the process concludes, with the handover expected before Parliament returns from summer recess in September.

“I will remain in post as prime minister until the contest is complete, and I will do everything I can to ensure an orderly handover of power,” he said.

The resignation reverses his recent stance. Despite months of internal pressure, Starmer had insisted he would stay and lead the government.

Starmer swept to power in 2024, ending 14 years of Conservative rule and credited with rebuilding Labour’s electoral fortunes. But his time in No. 10 was dominated by political headwinds: unpopular welfare reforms, disputes over defence spending, and the backlash over appointing Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington due to Mandelson’s links to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

His position weakened further after Reform UK, the right-wing anti-immigration party, made major gains in May’s local elections.

The announcement opens the field for Labour’s next leader. Veteran MP Andy Burnham has emerged as an early frontrunner. His chances got a boost after winning a key by-election last week, with his swearing-in as MP set for Monday.

Starmer’s exit means Britain will have its seventh Prime Minister in 10 years. It also lands one day before the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Brexit referendum that set off years of UK political upheaval.

In his farewell, Starmer struck an optimistic note: “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.”