LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has decided to resign. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has decided to resign amid mounting pressure within the Labour Party. The announcement was made today during an extraordinary address to the nation.
The reasons for this decision have not yet been specified, but sources say it may be related to the domestic political situation in the country. He will soon announce his departure schedule, paving the way for a handover to his main rival, Andy Burnham, the former Mayor of Greater Manchester. King Charles III will accept the prime minister's resignation, after which the formation of a new cabinet will begin.
The pressure on Starmer had been mounting for several months, but reached a critical point on June 19, when his political opponent, Andy Burnham, won a landslide victory in the Makerfield by-election, garnering nearly 55% of the vote. This victory allowed Burnham to formally nominate himself for the leadership of the Labour Party. According to media reports, more than 100 Labour MPs—roughly a quarter of the House of Commons—have publicly called on Starmer to resign or set a date for his resignation.
Even senior cabinet members, including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, have privately advised the prime minister to step down.
Keir Starmer led the Labour Party to a landslide victory in the 2024 general election, but his popularity ratings have plummeted due to a series of scandals, abrupt policy changes, and a failure to deliver on campaign promises to improve living standards for Britons. If Starmer resigns, the UK will have its seventh prime minister in just over a decade—the highest rate of turnover in two centuries, reflecting voter dissatisfaction with governments' failures to improve public services and combat illegal immigration.
Commenting on the situation, US President Donald Trump declared on the social media platform TruthSocial that Starmer had "suffered a crushing defeat" on immigration and energy issues, predicting his imminent departure. Business Secretary Peter Kyle, a close ally of the prime minister, told the BBC on Sunday that Starmer was "considering the political realities" and would make a decision that was "in the best interests of the country."
Add comment
Comments