Starmer says he accepts ‘with good grace’ that he is not best person to lead Labour into next election
Starmer says he accepts the decision he has to go with good grace.
The question being asked now is not who was best placed to change the Labour party, to take us into power and to begin the vital work of improving lives for millions of people. Those questions have been answered.
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, and I accept that answer with good grace.
Every decision I’ve taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour party.
I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision.
Key events
Burnham confirms he will be candidate to replace Starmer, saying transition should be ‘positive process of renewal’
Andy Burnham has confirmed that he will stand as a candidate to replace Keir Starmer. He says he will give Britain “stability, seriousness and a continued focus on the issues that matter most”. And he says he wants the transition to be “a positive process of renewal”.
Keir has given huge service to our country and I want to thank him for his leadership and dedication during such a challenging period.
His decision marks the beginning of a transition and it is important that this process is conducted in an orderly and responsible way. I will put myself forward as part of this process.
The country expects stability, seriousness and a continued focus on the issues that matter most and that is what it will get.
As we move forward, our priority must be to work together to get the country back to where we all want it to be. People want to see progress on economic growth, cost of living, public services, housing and opportunities for the next generation. Political change should never distract from the responsibility to improve people’s lives.
The Labour movement has always been at its strongest when it looks forward with confidence and purpose. This is what we will do from here and we will make sure this transition is a positive process of renewal for our party and our country.
Burnham does not make any reference to a leadership election happening, and his reference to the “transition” implies he does not expect a contest to happen.
There was one notable absence in Downing Street today, Jessica Elgot reports.
Interesting that Rachel Reeves was not outside Number 10 today
Reeves and Keir Starmer used to be very close, and until now their political fates have been entwined. One of the decisions that did most to make Starmer unpopular with voters was Reeves cutting the winter fuel payment early after she took office.
But Reeves is now reportedly hoping that Andy Burnham can be persuaded to keep her on as chancellor.
‘Turmoil in Westminster’ making it harder for Welsh government to engage with UK PM, says Rhun ap Iorwerth
Steven Morris
Steven Morris is a Guardian correspondent covering Wales.
The Welsh first minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth, said the turmoil around the UK prime minister was making it difficult for him to work with Westminster.
He said:
I am disappointed that the Welsh government’s ability to engage with the UK prime minister on issues which matter to the people of Wales is being hampered by the turmoil in Westminster.
Ap Iorwerth, whose Plaid Cymru party took advantage of Labour’s troubles to secure a famous win at the Senedd – Welsh parliament – elections in May, added:
I wish Sir Keir Starmer well as he prepares to leave office. I would like to see his successor recognising that Wales needs a new relationship with Westminster, with a focus on greater powers, fair funding, and respect for the democratic mandate delivered by the people of Wales.
Ken Skates, the Welsh Labour interim leader, said:
Keir brought our party back from oblivion and delivered one of the greatest victories the Labour Party has seen. Under his leadership we’ve seen an increase to the minimum wage, a boost to the state pension and stronger employment rights. We also received a record devolution settlement and generational plans for £14bn for rail in Wales. He has led the country through exceptionally tough times with dignity and authenticity.
This is what Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, is saying about Keir Starmer’s resignation.
The British people are sick of being let down by an endless merry-go-round of prime ministers while nothing really changes for them.
This time must be different. It can’t just be about changing who’s in Number 10, it has to be about changing our broken politics so we can fix our country.
That means tackling the cost of living with a bold new deal with Europe, fixing social care at long last to end the NHS crisis; and giving power back to people by voting reform and giving communities more control.
Whoever becomes prime minister needs to drop the caution and complacency and show the ambition our country deserves.
Some of this sounds like an Andy Burnham endorsement. Burnham also thinks politics is not working for people in the UK, he is also promising change, he is strongly committed to voting reform and devolution and he is arguably the last Labour politician to produce a serious plan for social care reform (when he was health secretary before the 2010 election).
Burnham is also on record as saying he would like to the UK to rejoin the EU – although in recent weeks he has played down the prospect of implementing a radical EU reset.
Attorney general Lord Hermer says he does not think Starmer angry about his situation
Lord Hermer, the attorney general and one of Keir Starmer’s closest friends in politics, told Sky News that he did not think Starmer was angry about being forced to resign.
There have been reports saying that, behind the scenes, he is more bitter about events than his public comments suggest. (See 9.27am.) But, when asked if Starmer was angry about having to resign, Hermer said:
I would be, but I don’t think he is. I think he is someone who is genuinely focused on the country and doing the right thing, and you saw that on the podium today …
He is someone who has always, always put country first, and I think he made the decision that fighting on would not serve the party, would not serve, more importantly, the country.
Starmer’s speech was notable for his statement saying that he accepted that he had to go “with good grace”. (See 9.37am.) This marked a contrast from Boris Johnson, who could not really conceal his outrage at Tory MPs forcing him out “when we have such a vast mandate and when we’re actually only a handful of points behind in the polls” in his equivalent speech four years ago.
The only hint that Starmer does feel hard done by was the long passage commenting on his achievements as PM. (See 9.59am.)
Starmer’s speech was more dignified that Johnson’s, but Johnson’s contained a quote for the history books: “As we’ve seen at Westminster, the herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves.” Starmer would almost certainly agree.
Australian PM Anthony Albanese pays tribute to Starmer saying he can be ‘proud’ of his contribution to UK
Anthony Albanese, the Australian PM, has issued this statement about Keir Starmer’s resignation. He said:
I consider Keir Starmer a friend and I’m thinking of him on what must be a very tough day.
Serving in public life is a tremendous privilege but politics can also be a harsh business.
When the time comes for Keir to leave Downing Street, he can be proud of the contribution he has made to the country he loves and to the Labour party that he led back to government in 2024.
I’m grateful for the opportunities we had to work together to strengthen our Aukus defence and security partnership, support the brave people of Ukraine and keep children safe from the damage that social media can do.
I wish Keir, Victoria and their children well with everything the future holds.
Zack Polanski says Burnham’s recent policy talk ‘not encouraging’, and that as PM he ‘must be bold’
Peter Walker
Peter Walker is a senior Guardian political correspondent.
Zack Polanski, the leader of the Greens in England and Wales, has said that Starmer’s departure should be the moment for “a bold change of direction” for the nation.
He said:
We are still waiting to see which version of Andy Burnham might going to show up in Downing Street. While he has talked about a change of course, the early indications are not encouraging and suggest more of the same with better communication skills.
The time for half measures and sticking plasters is long gone – if he becomes the next PM, Burnham must be bold or he will be bust.
Jessica Elgot points out that, if Andy Burnham does become PM around 17 July (see 10.04am), Keir Starmer will attend the Nato summit – but Burnham would be in post for the UK-EU summit.
Two very big dates around this period:
– 7th July is Nato summit which Starmer looks likely to attend – and by which we need the Defence Investment Plan
– 22 July is the EU reset summit in Brussels. Will this be PM Andy Burnham?
Farage calls for general election
Ben Quinn
Ben Quinn is a Guardian political correspondent.
The Conservatives may not be arguing that having a new PM requires an election (see 7.52am) but Nigel Farage has called for an election. He claims that it is “ridiculous to pretend that Andy Burnham has any kind of meaningful mandate to lead the country.”
The Reform UK leader, who is himself licking his wounds after his party was beaten in last week’s Makerfield by-election, referred to that result in an “essay to Britain” in which he said that Burnham now presumed to be prime minister “based on less than 25,000 votes”.
“I’m not frightened of Andy Burnham or any of the other Labour Party stooges,” wrote Faragm who claimed that the “uniparty” of Labour and Conservatives were frightened of Reform. He added:
That’s why they band together at every byelection to attempt to block us from victory, why they tried to cancel the local elections and why they’ll try their very hardest to hold off on a general election for as long as possible.
Andy Burnham has good reason to be afraid of us. Reform is the only party that listens to the desires of working people and offers them solutions, rather than flattery and patronisation.
How Burnham could become PM around 17 July
Jessica Elgot
Jessica Elgot is the Guardian’s deputy political editor.
If there are no challengers then you can expect Andy Burnham to be prime minister on or around 17 July.
Keir Starmer said that Labour’s governing body – the national executive committee – will open nominations on 9 July and that the process will be concluded by the summer recess which is expected on 16 July.
Two members of NEC confirm to the Guardian that Burnham can be prime minister by the following day – 17 July – though it could be the following Monday when parliament is in recess.
If there is a contest, all bets are off – but Starmer said he expects that to conclude by September.
