Starmer Resigns: Andy Burnham Is Runaway Favourite After Decisive Makerfield By-Election Win Just Days Earlier
According to BBC, Keir Starmer stood outside Downing Street on Monday and confirmed he would step aside after losing the confidence of much of his parliamentary party, less than two years after leading Labour to a landslide majority in the 2024 general election.
Starmer said nominations to replace him will open July 9 and close when Parliament breaks for summer recess on July 16. If no challenger emerges, a new leader could be in post shortly after. If a contest runs, a new leader will be chosen by September 1. Wes Streeting, long considered Burnham’s main rival, announced he would back Burnham’s bid instead.
Labour lost 1,496 council seats in May’s local elections while Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, secured 1,453 positions and took control of 14 councils. The elections were widely seen as a referendum on Starmer himself.
A visibly emotional Starmer said entering Downing Street had been the “proudest moment of my life,” but conceded his parliamentary party had answered the question of whether he was best placed to lead them into the next general election.
His successor will be the country’s seventh prime minister in a decade, a period that began the day Britain voted to leave the European Union.
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