Keir Starmer said he would step down as Britain’s prime minister, marking a precipitous fall from favour two years after leading the Labour Party back to power with a landslide majority.
Starmer’s departure paves the way for Andy Burnham to attempt to take over as successor, after the long-time mayor of Manchester won a parliamentary seat last week in order to mount a challenge.
Starmer’s exit opens the door to Britain’s fifth premier since 2022: a jarring milestone for a political system which once prized itself on its stability.
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“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question,” Starmer said, adding “I accept that answer with good grace.”
Nominations for a contest for a new leader of his party will open on July 9, the prime minister said, and completed by the September 1 with him remaining in post until the process is complete. He said he would “do all I can to ensure an orderly handover of power.”
That winner of the Labour Party’s contest would then become prime minister without the need for a fresh general election.
Starmer’s voice broke as he thanked his family and said he would devote more time to them after resigning.
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