Keir Starmer Resigns – Labour Seeks Successor as Burnham Announces Candidacy

With his departure, Starmer becomes the seventh prime minister in a decade, according to calculations by British media. A YouGov poll from mid-June put his approval at just 18 percent – 74 percent of those surveyed considered his performance poor. He thus enters British history as the most unpopular prime minister, even behind his predecessor Liz Truss, who ended up with 71 percent against her.

Record-Low Polls and Seventh Premier in Ten Years

Pressure on Starmer had intensified massively since Labour's heavy losses in the local and regional elections in England, Scotland and Wales in May. The right-wing populist Reform UK under Nigel Farage was the clear winner of those elections, gaining seats in all parts of the United Kingdom. Labour has since trailed Reform UK significantly in the polls. According to British media reports, more than a hundred Labour MPs demanded his resignation; intensive talks with senior party figures reportedly took place over the weekend.

Despite the electoral defeat, Starmer initially clung to office, pointing to his 2024 election victory. Only after Andy Burnham's victory in a by-election in the Makerfield constituency last Friday – which gave him a seat in the House of Commons and thus a path to run for party leader – did Starmer drop his resistance. On Monday, the 56-year-old mayor of Greater Manchester declared his bid for the Labour leadership and the office of prime minister practically immediately after Starmer's announcement.

Burnham Steps Forward – "King of the North" with a Mandate

Burnham is considered the country's most popular Labour politician at present, according to reports. British media have given him the nickname "King of the North," a reference to the fantasy series Game of Thrones. Around ten years ago, after a failed bid for the party leadership, he returned from London to his home region of Manchester, where he championed the economically left-behind north of England. According to the PA news agency, if Burnham is the only candidate, the party leadership succession could be concluded as early as 18 July.

Former health secretary Wes Streeting, who had originally harboured his own ambitions for the succession, pledged his support for Burnham on Monday and could reportedly expect a cabinet post. More than two hundred members of the Labour camp are said to back Burnham, according to reports. Defence Secretary John Healey had also previously withdrawn his allegiance from Starmer over the latter's hesitant stance on the defence budget.

Wave of Resignations and the Epstein Affair Surrounding Mandelson

Several ministers had resigned in recent months under the growing pressure on Starmer. In September 2025, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner had already stepped down over an outstanding property tax payment. Shortly afterwards, Starmer recalled Peter Mandelson from Washington as ambassador after new details about his once-close friendship with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became public. Mandelson had been appointed British ambassador to the United States at the beginning of 2025 despite the known Epstein connection – the affair continued to weigh on Starmer even after Mandelson's removal.

Britain's economic situation further narrowed Starmer's room for manoeuvre. The economy is stagnating, the state is more heavily indebted than almost ever before, and core tasks such as defence, education and healthcare urgently need additional funding, according to reports. Starmer and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves therefore attempted a reform of social welfare, which was threatening to spiral out of control financially in the medium term – and had to abandon it after the first internal party revolt.

Failed Reforms in a Stagnant Economy

Other reform projects also failed due to resistance from within the party's own ranks. Shortly after taking office, Starmer had scrapped heating-cost support for well-off pensioners, something that had not been foreseen in the election manifesto and which had to be partially reversed after a wave of protest. The left wing of the party rebelled against the pensioner cuts, while the social-liberal wing demanded more austerity measures in order to be able to invest in defence and innovation. Starmer financed the additional funds for education, health and defence, among other things, through selectively justifiable tax increases and savings programmes.

On migration policy, Starmer attempted to win back traditional Labour working-class voters with tough messages – and alienated moderate voters in the process. In a widely noted speech, he warned that Britain could become an "island of strangers," provoking outrage. Frustration over economic stagnation and immigration has contributed to the erosion of the traditional two-party system and the rise of Reform UK, according to reports.

On foreign policy, Starmer made his mark with a rapprochement with Europe. Together with French President Emmanuel Macron, he brought supporters of Ukraine together in the so-called Coalition of the Willing in the fight against Russia; with German participation, a similar coalition was later established to secure the Strait of Hormuz after the Iran war. Joint statements with Germany and France were also issued on the Iranian nuclear programme and the Gaza war. Starmer did not touch Brexit itself, despite a now EU-sceptic majority of Britons, but did negotiate trade facilitations with the EU.

The fact that US President Donald Trump had predicted Starmer's resignation on Sunday and accused him of political failure caused additional irritation. Trump hosted Starmer for a historic second state visit to the United States during his term of office, but publicly called him no Winston Churchill. Relations between London and Washington had been strained, among other things, by Britain's hesitant stance on the use of bases for the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Foreign Policy: Ukraine Coalition and Disagreement with Trump

European Council President António Costa cancelled the EU–United Kingdom summit planned for 22 July on Monday, which was meant to recalibrate the future of relations ten years after the Brexit vote. "Now we definitely have to postpone it, but we are reviewing the options for this summit again," Costa said, expressing the hope that Starmer's successor would continue the course of rapprochement: "My wish is that his successor maintains continuity on this path to reshaping our relations with the United Kingdom." British politics remains deeply divided on the question of closer ties to the EU, according to reports.

Andy Burnham paid explicit tribute to the outgoing party leader after his announcement: Starmer had rendered the country an "enormous service." People wanted to see progress on economic growth, the cost of living, public services, housing and opportunities for the next generation, he said. Burnham called Starmer's announcement a turning point and declared that he would run for the Labour leadership once the formalities were settled.

EU Summit Postponed – Costa Appeals to Successor

Starmer himself ended his statement in a faltering voice, announcing that he wanted to devote himself more to his wife and children after leaving office. He would remain in office until a successor was elected, and asked his party's national executive to set a timetable for the succession. He had also spoken that morning with King Charles III, who, by unwritten British constitutional tradition, formally appoints the new prime minister.

Starmer had already travelled to the country residence Chequers over the weekend, where, according to reports, he ultimately made his decision. At the end of his speech, he said: "Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first." He called becoming prime minister "the proudest moment" of his life, and said he had torn the "poison of antisemitism" out of his party. His resignation ends a political career that began in 2015 with his entry into parliament in a London constituency, after Starmer had previously worked as a human rights lawyer and, from 2008 to 2013, as Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales.