Keir Starmer resignation: Sir Keir Starmer has resigned as leader of the Labour Party bringing an end to his stint at 10 Downing Street.
He has declared he will remain as UK prime leader until a successor is found.
Why did Starmer step down?
There had been an increasing pressure on the Labour leader for some time, with poor approval ratings for the party in general and him individually.
His premiership was rocked again this year when the US Department of Justice released documents that sparked a scandal over his decision to name Peter Mandelson his US ambassador.
The defeat in the February by-election was devastating, with Labour losing a hitherto safe seat to the Greens after Sir Keir had stopped the then-Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from standing, and a series of local and national elections in May became a test of his leadership.
The results of the May elections were terrible, worse even than many in the party had feared, and Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary and a clutch of more junior ministers.
Sir Keir pressed on. But his authority leaked further when a long-running behind-the-scenes fight over defence spending led Labour veteran John Healey to quit as defence minister earlier this month.
Andy Burnham’s victory in last week’s Makerfield by-election, in which he defeated a strong challenge from Reform UK, was decisive. It has now paved the way for him to return to Westminster and make a formal leadership campaign.
Sir Keir, who succeeded Mr Burnham, had first said he would fight any leadership challenge, before ending the weekend by saying Labour MPs preferred someone else to lead them into the next general election.
When could a new leader be chosen?
No formal party timetable has been published but Sir Keir, in his resignation address, stated anybody seeking to succeed him would have between July 9 and July 16 to get the support needed to stand.
The party’s rulebook requires candidates to be nominated by 81 Labour MPs or 32 of Labour’s 634 local branches or three organisations affiliated to the party (including two trade unions).
If more than one MP exceeds this level, there would then be a vote among party members and allied trade union supporters to choose a winner when parliament returns from its summer holiday on 1 September.
But there are already indications that it might not be needed.
Burnham has stated he will be standing and is widely seen as having more than enough backing among Labour MPs to qualify for the election.
But no other Labour MP has yet declared they will stand, with possible leadership contender Wes Streeting ruling himself out and backing Burnham within hours of Sir Keir’s resignation.
Will anyone else get up?
If no other MP throws their hat in the ring, Burnham will automatically become Labour leader, taking him to Downing Street as the new prime minister of the UK as early as mid-July.
The prospect of such a short battle has already prompted some Labour MPs to urge for Burnham, who has been away from Westminster for almost a decade, to spell out more of the detail of his blueprint for office.
It has also raised issues about how Sir Keir would deliver on his claimed desire to guarantee a “orderly handover of power”.
The prime minister promised to publish the defence spending plan that led to Mr Healey’s resignation ahead of a Nato leaders’ conference on July 7 – but it is not clear if that plan will be put back even again.
Sir Keir’s revelation has already prompted the postponement of an EU summit on 22 July where he was expected to deliver a raft of deals to “reset” the post-Brexit relationship with Europe.
Key Takeaways
- Keir Starmer has resigned as Labour Party leader.
- He will remain prime minister until a successor is chosen.
- Andy Burnham has emerged as the frontrunner to replace him.
- Wes Streeting has ruled himself out and backed Burnham.
- A leadership contest may not be necessary if no rival candidate enters.
- Burnham could become UK prime minister as early as mid-July.
- Starmer’s departure has created uncertainty over defence plans and UK-EU relations.