Sir Keir Starmer has announced he is resigning as prime minister.
In an address to the nation on Monday morning from Downing Street, Starmer spoke of his pride in becoming prime minister and saving Labour from ‘moral and financial bankruptcy’ when he took over.
After listing the achievements of his government, such as rebuilding British relations with the EU, wages rising higher than inflation, the economy growing, and asylum hotels closing.
But he went on to say that his party was asking “whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election.”
He said he had heard the answer of his party and “accepts it with good grace,” before confirming he was resigning as the leader of the Labour party.
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Starmer confirmed the timetable for the transition of power would be laid out by the Labour executive committee.
A new leader will be in place before parliament returns in September, he said.
Starmer added his successor would get his full support.
An emotional Starmer than thanked his family, his voice audibly breaking, before applause from his staff at Number 10.
It comes just days after Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election, securing his return to parliament and paving the way for him to challenge Starmer for the Labour leadership.
Since Burnham’s win, the situation in Number 10 has changed rapidly. Initially, reports suggested Starmer would stand in any leadership election.
However, over the weekend reports emerged that some of Starmer’s most senior ministers had urged him to step aside for Burnham, convinced that hgis popularity is such that there would be no point Starmer trying to run in a leadership election.
Starmer’s resignation means he has lasted less than two years as prime minister, having won a huge majority at the 2024 general election.
But his tenure was marred by political missteps and controversies along with many factors outside of his or his government’s control, such as the obstacles posed by Donald Trump’s presidency.
In the end, it meant that according to the polls, Starmer had become one of, if not the, most unpopular prime minister in modern British history.
Labour have languished behind Reform in the polls for over a year now and many Labour MPs were clearly concerned about the prospect of Starmer leading the party into the next general election.
Add on the popularity of Andy Burnham, and his surprising margin of victory in Makerfield, it seems it all became too much for Starmer to resist any more.
As Boris Johnson famously said when he resigned, when the herd moves it moves.