UK PM Starmer says he will step down as Burnham leads Labour succession race

2026-06-22

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on the 22nd that he would resign. After the ruling Labour Party suffered a heavy defeat in the May local elections, pressure had mounted within the party for him to step down. He judged it would be difficult to remain in office after former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, seen as the leading contender to replace him, returned to national politics.

Leadership contest timetable set out

Speaking outside the prime minister's office, he said, 'Labour is asking who is best placed to lead the party for the next general election, due by 2029. I accept the party's view and will resign as leader.' Nominations for the leadership contest to choose his successor will open on July 9. He set out a schedule under which a new leader will take office before Parliament reconvenes on Sept. 1 after the summer leadership contest.

'I will remain prime minister until the leadership contest is over and do everything I can to ensure a smooth handover,' he said.

Support inside the party concentrates on Burnham

After Labour's heavy defeat in the May local elections, a Labour lawmaker who had called for Starmer to step down resigned, saying he wanted to make way for Burnham in his seat. Burnham won a by-election held on the 18th in a suburb north of Manchester in central England, returning to national politics for the first time in nine years.

Labour also lost local elections to the right-wing populist Reform UK even around Manchester, long one of its strongholds. Burnham showed in the by-election that his popularity outstripped Reform UK's momentum, intensifying calls within the party for 'Prime Minister Burnham.'

As many as 200 Labour lawmakers are said to support Burnham becoming prime minister, far above the 81 MPs, equal to 20% of the party's membership, needed to trigger a leadership contest. The incumbent Starmer could run without nominations, but his weak position was clear. Within the party, it is being seen as an 'honorable retreat.'

Impact on international coordination

If there are no other candidates besides Burnham, who is from the party's left wing, he is expected to be elected leader and become prime minister. Streeting, a leading figure on the party's right who resigned as health minister after the local elections, has made clear his intention to run in the leadership contest. If multiple candidates stand, the new prime minister will be decided through the contest.

As Labour leader, Starmer fought the 2024 general election and took power from the Conservatives for the first time in 14 years. He worked to repair ties with the European Union, which had become strained under the previous government, and expanded spending at home on health care, education and infrastructure.

At the same time, his push to raise taxes on companies and the wealthy also gave rise to an image of a government imposing heavier burdens. His appointment of a senior party figure who had been close to U.S. tycoon Epstein as ambassador to Washington also drew criticism.

Starmer has led support for Ukraine after the Trump administration reduced its involvement, and while keeping a distance from U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, he has advanced multilateral talks aimed at securing the Strait of Hormuz. His resignation announcement casts a shadow over such international coordination.

He had only just met Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in London on the 14th, agreeing to work together to further strengthen bilateral ties, making the resignation announcement immediately afterward.

Burnham has previously said fiscal discipline rules should be loosened. If he is confirmed as prime minister, some expect further rises in British government bond yields, reflecting concerns about worsening public finances.

Starmer was the sixth prime minister in the past 10 years. Short-lived governments have followed one another amid turmoil over Brexit, a series of scandals and economic stagnation. British politics has changed markedly compared with the eras of Margaret Thatcher's 11-year government and Tony Blair's 10-year government.

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