Starmer announces resignation as UK PM, successor to take over by September

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that he will step down, saying a successor should be in place by September, following dissent within the governing Labour Party.

He also said that he was resigning from his role as the leader of the Labour Party.

Starmer's announcement came amid mounting pressure for him to make way for a new leader capable of reviving the government's declining fortunes.

He has served as prime minister since leading the Labour Party to a landslide victory in the July 2024 general election. However, over the past two years, both his personal approval ratings and the party's popularity have fallen sharply.

The immediate trigger for his departure was the victory of Andy Burnham in a special election last week. Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester and a popular figure within the Labour Party, had been preparing to challenge Starmer for the party leadership.

Burnham's poll victory adds to the pressure

Starmer spent the weekend weighing his future after intra-party rival Andy Burnham won a special parliamentary election, a result that dramatically intensified calls for a change in Labour's leadership.

Burnham, who stepped down as Greater Manchester mayor to contest the seat, campaigned with the intention of challenging for the Labour leadership. He is due to be sworn in as a Member of Parliament on June 22.

Pressure on Starmer had been building for months, but Burnham's emphatic return to Westminster on Friday marked a turning point. The veteran politician defeated a candidate from Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, which has led national opinion polls for more than a year.

The result fuelled hopes among Labour lawmakers that Burnham, known for his strong communication skills and public appeal, could revive a party that has struggled under Starmer's leadership. Starmer's approval ratings have fallen sharply, making him one of Britain's most unpopular prime ministers in recent history.

Economic challenges remain

Whoever succeeds Starmer will inherit an economy burdened by weak growth, high public debt and rising borrowing costs. Britain currently faces the highest borrowing costs among the Group of Seven economies, with concerns over government finances and the need for greater spending on priorities such as defence.

The next leader will become Britain's seventh prime minister since the 2016 Brexit referendum, highlighting a decade of political instability in the country.

Trump’s remarks on Starmer

Even before Starmer's announcement, US President Donald Trump linked the British leader's troubles to two issues he frequently highlights: immigration and energy policy.

"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!" Trump wrote on his social media platform.

Starmer's initially warm relationship with Trump has deteriorated in recent months, particularly over the conflict involving Iran, which Britain chose not to join.

Despite mounting domestic criticism, Starmer has earned praise internationally for helping rally European support for Ukraine in its war against Russia and for efforts to limit the broader economic and political fallout from the Iran conflict.