What we covered here
• Starmer set to step down: Keir Starmer announced he will resign amid mounting pressure from his own lawmakers, paving the way for a seventh British prime minister in a decade.
• Potential successor: Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, was sworn in as a lawmaker, and looks likely to replace Starmer within weeks. Another potential challenger, former health minister Wes Streeting, backed Burnham and ruled himself out.
• Political upheaval: Starmer’s announcement came just two years after his center-left Labour party swept into power with a landslide majority – and almost 10 years to the day since Britain voted to leave the European Union, plunging the country into a decade worth of political instability.
Our live coverage has now ended
Thanks for following our coverage today, you can look back at Monday’s developments below, and read the full story here.
Why is Starmer resigning, two years after winning in a landslide?
Less than two years ago, British Prime Minister Starmer led his Labour party to its biggest majority in Parliament this century, consigning the Conservatives to their worst-ever defeat. But the British public soured on Starmer almost as soon as it elected him.
He survived months of scrapes, but in the end the pressure for him to quit became too great to withstand. Starmer leaves office as the least popular prime minister on record.
There is, however, a sense of bewilderment in Britain as to how things went wrong so quickly. Unlike his predecessors, Starmer did not join a despised foreign war, or botch a pandemic response, or crash the economy.
His missteps were more mundane: an attempt to make wealthier pensioners pay more to heat their homes; a plan to cut some benefits to disabled people; accepting freebies; and, in recent months, a scandal over his appointment of Jeffrey Epstein-linked politician Peter Mandelson to the role of UK ambassador to Washington.
Policy missteps alone cannot explain Starmer’s fall. There are two other glaring factors. The first is his inheritance.
When Starmer took office, Britain was worn out by the Conservative program of austerity. That decade of cost-cutting aimed to reduce Britain’s debt and aid its recovery following the 2008 financial crisis but failed on both counts: Debt has ballooned and economic growth has been anemic since.
The second reason for Starmer’s fall is more personal. He failed to set out an easily expressed political philosophy. Lacking the narrative glue that holds a governing project together, many of Labour’s decisions seemed arbitrary. Starmer floundered in part because “Starmerism” never existed.
Read more about Starmer’s leadership in our full article here.
Andy Burnham sworn in as a member of parliament
Andy Burnham, the frontrunner to replace Keir Starmer as Britain’s prime minister, has been sworn in as a member of parliament, days after he won a crucial by-election in Makerfield, northwest England.
His arrival into London was greeted by much media fanfare, including by TV helicopters following his train into Euston Station from Manchester, and then his taxi across the city to Westminster.
Some MPs heckled Burnham as he walked into parliament, including one who shouted: “He’s not the Messiah.”
“Naughty boy,” Burnham quipped, apparently referencing the famous quote, “He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy” from the surrealist comedy “Monty Python’s Life of Brian.”
This post has been updated with additional developments.
Conservative leader slams Starmer as "terrible" prime minister, urges quicker transition
Kemi Badenoch, who leads the UK’s official opposition Conservative Party, has launched a scathing attack on Keir Starmer and the Labour Party, calling the outgoing UK leader a “terrible prime minister” in the wake of his resignation and urging the next prime minister to take up the job quickly.
“The country is not being governed and Labour say there won’t be a Prime Minister till September,” Badenoch wrote on X.
“Keir Starmer is off on a farewell tour and Andy Burnham wants a summer holiday. Neither is thinking about our national security. We need to cut welfare and fund our military,” she said.
Badenoch questioned why the UK must wait for weeks to appoint a new prime minister – as outlined by Starmer – noting that a leadership contest appears unlikely after a potential rival to forerunner Burnham said he would not run.
“If you’re not running, what are we waiting for?” Badenoch wrote in response to Wes Streeting, a key potential challenger who now backs Burnham’s leadership.
How today has unfolded so far — in pictures
Keir Starmer resigned as the UK’s Prime Minister earlier today and hours later, his likely successor, Andy Burnham, arrived in London to be sworn in as a lawmaker.
Here’s a look back at how things have unfolded today in London so far:
Labour has a large majority in the British parliament
The governing Labour party currently holds 403 out of the total 650 seats in the British parliament.
In July 2024, the party secured a landslide general election victory after 14 years in the political wilderness.
The UK’s Parliament is made up of two entities: the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Elected Members of Parliament (MPs) make up the 650 representatives in the House of Commons, while the roughly 800 people in the House of Lords are appointed there, without input from the public.
Burnham arrives in London after Starmer resigns as prime minister — catch-up here
Andy Burnham, the frontrunner to succeed Keir Starmer as Britain’s prime minister, has just arrived in London to take his seat in parliament for the first time.
He was greeted by a media scrum as he got off the train from Manchester, where he served as mayor for almost a decade.
If you’re just joining us, here’s everything you need to know so far:
- Starmer resigns: Starmer acknowledged his Labour Party was questioning “whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election” and said he “accepts that answer with good grace,” yielding to intense pressure from his own lawmakers.
- What happens next: Starmer said he will ask his party to set out a timetable for the leadership process, with nominations opening on July 9 until parliament breaks for summer, a week later.
- Who could replace Starmer: So far, only former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, fresh from winning a crucial by-election last week, has put himself forward for the leadership. Even would-be leadership rival Wes Streeting, the former UK health minister said he was backing Burnham.
- Nigel Farage calls for election: Trump ally Nigel Farage, who leads the hard-right party Reform UK, has “demanded an election.” Under British law, the governing Labour Party does not have to hold a general election until 2029, five years after the last one.
- Global response: Several of the UK’s allies have paid tribute to Starmer’s role on the world stage, referencing his support for Ukraine and efforts to rest the UK’s relationship with Europe after Brexit.
Starmer said he "changed" the UK's governing Labour party
In his resignation statement earlier today, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he “inherited a Labour party that was politically, financially and morally bankrupt” six years ago.
Starmer said he has since “changed our party, ripping out the poison of antisemitism, restoring trust on the economy, defense and national security, and becoming a party that once again stood proudly with, not against our national flag.”
Before Starmer’s election, Labour was led by Jeremy Corbyn, a socialist who was subsequently suspended from the party, under Starmer, after the country’s Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) identified “serious failings” with how Labour dealt with anti-Semitism during Corbyn’s time as leader.
At the time, Corbyn responded to the report by saying that, while he condemned anti-Semites, the scale of the problem under his leadership had been “dramatically overstated for political reasons.”
Once Starmer became leader, he dragged Labour closer into the center ground of British politics with moderate policies designed not to spook Conservative voters.
Four years later, he led the party to an historic victory, winning a landslide majority in parliament in 2024’s general election. In his victory speech, Starmer pledged to steer the UK toward “calmer waters” after 14 years of center-right Conservative rule, many of which had been turbulent.
Now, the likely next leader of the Labour party is Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Manchester.
In a post on X today, Burnham wrote that Starmer “has given huge service to our country and I want to thank him for his leadership and dedication during such a challenging period.”
Nigel Farage — the hard-right party leader calling for a UK general election
The UK’s May local elections could be viewed as the beginning of the end of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s premiership, after the populist hard-right Reform UK party won big, with Starmer’s center-left Labour party losing hundreds of seats.
The Labour Party leader vowed to press on, saying that “what we witnessed with the last government was the chaos of constantly changing leaders, and it cost this country a huge amount.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has consistently called for a general election since May, most recently saying this morning that his party “demands a general election to fix broken Britain.”
Farage, who has been working in and around politics for three decades, is staunchly anti-immigration, was the architect of Brexit, and is an ally of US President Donald Trump.
He has been accused of deeply offensive, racist and antisemitic behavior throughout his teenage years.
The Reform UK party aims to “restore Britain’s power, reward hard work, defend our culture, and put the British people first,” its website says.
The first four policies listed on Reform’s website relate to immigration.
“Illegal immigration is out of control,” the party says, vowing to “remove all illegal migrants from the UK” and “ensure that anyone who enters the country illegally will be ineligible for asylum.”
Reform also promises to “defend and protect British culture and traditions,” “dramatically cut foreign aid” and scrap environmental policies in support of British farmers, among other policies, should it get into power.
Following his party’s gains in the May elections, Farage said that Reform was no longer a “fluke or a protest vote,” but a “truly national party” that was “here to stay.”
Irish PM commends “significant role” Starmer played in resetting British-Irish relations
Ireland’s prime minister (Taoiseach) Micheál Martin has responded to the announcement of Keir Starmer’s resignation, commending the effort he made to reset relations between London and Dublin.
When Keir Starmer took office in July 2024, relations between Britain and its closest neighbour Ireland were considered to be among their lowest in decades, significantly strained by years of tense Brexit negotiations.
In a statement Monday, Martin said he wanted to “acknowledge the significant role Keir played in resetting the Irish-British relationship as well as relations between the UK and the European Union during his time as Prime Minister.”
“Since Keir took office two years ago, he has worked with us to set a new direction and depth in the relationship between Ireland and the UK, for the benefit of all our citizens, north-south and east-west.”
UK-Irish relations were dealt several blows during the 14-years of Conservative party rule which preceded Starmer’s tenure. Negotiations to navigate the UK’s departure from the European Union often proved incredibly fractious with a major sticking point being the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK.
Shortly after he was appointed prime minister, Starmer invited then Irish prime minister, Simon Harris for a meeting at his country residence, Chequers. The two leaders were pictured grinning and sipping pints of Guinness in the gardens of the stately residence. Starmer soon returned the favor, visiting Dublin in September 2024, another step in what he called a” new era of co-operation and friendship” between Ireland and the UK.
Responding to the news on Monday, Harris who is the current deputy prime minister of Ireland, said Starmer “leaves the relationship between our two islands stronger than he found it.”
People in London, England react to Starmer's resignation
Keir Starmer is “a decent guy” despite losing the support of lawmakers within his own governing Labour Party, according to one Londoner responding to the UK prime minister’s resignation today.
You can watch the video above for more reactions.
Global leaders react after Starmer's resignation statement
Global leaders have been reacting to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s resignation this morning.
As we’ve been reporting, Starmer was visible on the world stage amid a number of global crises.
Here are some of the career tributes we’ve been seeing:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Starmer for his “support and the joint decisions that have helped make our Europe and our protection of life stronger.” He added that “every meeting and every conversation we have had has always been filled with real substance.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Starmer “it can take many leaders years to grow into the statesman you became in just two years. European and Ukrainian security is stronger because of you.”
And, referencing Starmer’s efforts to reset the UK’s relationship with Europe following Brexit, European Council President António Costa said “we turned a new page in EU-UK relations. The EU is committed to continued cooperation in this spirit.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Starmer “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.”
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow “won’t remember him for anything remarkable during his tenure,” adding that “it’s unlikely anyone in the UK political scene will have a different position on our bilateral relations than Keir Starmer.”
The UK has worked closely with Europe under Starmer's leadership
In his resignation speech a short while ago, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer listed some of his achievements as leader of the United Kingdom over the last two years, and touted “rebuilding our relationship with our allies in Europe” as one of them.
Shortly afterward, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, responded on X to Starmer, writing that “European and Ukrainian security is stronger because of you.”
Almost exactly a decade ago, the UK voted to leave the European Union by a razor-thin margin. Starmer spent the last two years trying to rebuild his country’s relationship with the bloc.
Last May, the UK and EU formed a “Security and Defence Partnership,” to enhance their “co-operation on the major shared challenges to European security,” including Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Britain and France have worked especially closely on international issues under Starmer’s leadership, with the two countries agreeing earlier this year to deploy forces in Ukraine to guarantee post-war security should a peace deal be struck with Russia.
Paris and London, alongside Germany, make up the E3 alliance, an informal group of countries who have also worked together on several geopolitical issues over the past years.
Last year, the three countries banded together to draft a counter-proposal to the United States’ draft 28-point Ukraine peace plan, and they have also issued joint statements on the conflict in the Middle East.
Figures from across Europe, including Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and former Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, responded on X to Starmer’s resignation.
Trump and Starmer were unlikely friends. Until they weren't.
President Donald Trump did not wait for Keir Starmer to announce his resignation as UK prime minister Monday to offer some half-hearted well wishes.
“Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom,” Trump wrote on social media Sunday, almost 24 hours before Starmer made the decision official. He added: “I wish him well!”
The early heave-ho from Britain’s most important ally was a tidy illustration of where the “special relationship” stands in the era of Trump.
Few leaders have worked to cultivate Trump with as much enthusiasm as Starmer and for a while, it seemed to work. Starmer’s hand-delivered invitation from King Charles III for a state visit last year seemed to genuinely stun the president in the Oval Office. The two men were quick to strike a new trade agreement amid Trump’s tariff threats, though it left some more difficult issues unresolved.
An enduring image of the men’s relationship may have come at the G7 summit last year in Canada, when a pile of papers related to the trade deal slipped out of Trump’s hands and Starmer rushed to collect them.
For all of his efforts to become Europe’s Trump whisperer, however, Starmer eventually found himself where so many leaders have before: unable to fulfill Trump’s demands, and the subject of scorn.
Trump mocked Starmer mercilessly when the UK declined to join in the war against Iran, deriding him as “not Winston Churchill.” He compared Britain’s Navy to “toys” and questioned whether the “special relationship” was still quite as special.
Starmer, wary of being dragging into an unpopular American war, rejected Trump’s pressure, at one point declaring himself “fed up” with Trump’s taunts. One columnist called it his “Love Actually” moment, a reference to the fictional prime minister played by Hugh Grant publicly defying his American counterpart.
But it apparently did little to endear Starmer to the public or to Trump. The two men did not meet one-on-one at last week’s G7 summit.
Britain's turbulent politics visualized through its lecterns
Six prime ministers have stood outside London’s Downing Street in the space of a decade.
Their custom podiums have changed, but their script has stayed the same: “I’m resigning.”
Here’s who has occupied the Prime Minister’s residence since 2016.
- David Cameron, Conservative — 2010-2016: Won two elections, but resigned after losing the Brexit referendum which he called mostly to appease rebels in his own party.
- Theresa May, Conservative — 2016-2019: Appointed because she was seen as a safe pair of hands that could deliver Brexit, but was undermined by constant infighting over the issue. Called an election to strengthen her hand, but ended up losing the majority she had. Resigned after more internal disagreements.
- Boris Johnson, Conservative — 2019-2022: Replaced May and managed to win a large majority in the 2019 general election, but was brought down by a series of scandals and more infighting.
- Liz Truss, Conservative — 2022: Was brought in to calm the waters after the turbulent Johnson years – but only made the situation worse by rattling the markets with completely unrealistic budget plans. Was forced to resign after only 50 days, becoming the shortest-serving UK prime minister ever. (Her premiership was famously outlasted by a lettuce.)
- Rishi Sunak, Conservative — 2022-2024: Replaced Truss to lead the party to the next election, which he lost, thus becoming the only one on this list to leave office because voters, rather than his own party, removed him.
- Keir Starmer, Labour — 2024-2026: Won big in the 2024 general election, promising stability after the chaos under the Conservatives. Less than two years into the mandate, he announced he will be stepping down.
Andy Burnham looks set to be next PM, after key potential challenger backs him instead
Andy Burnham has announced he will stand in the Labour Party’s leadership contest, as one of his would-be opponents for the job quickly said in a letter following Keir Starmer’s resignation that he would back him.
Writing on social media, Burnham thanked Starmer for his leadership and said: “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.”
As the odds-on favorite – and with key potential challenger Wes Streeting, the former health secretary, ruling himself out of the race – the former Greater Manchester mayor and Makerfield MP is widely seen as the frontrunner to become the country’s next prime minister.
“Andy has shown what Labour can be when we are inclusive, united, and in touch with the lives of the people this Party was founded to represent,” Streeting wrote in a letter posted to X.
Pointing to a platform of economic growth, public service modernization, energy security, and democratic values, Streeting said of Burnham: “I’m convinced that there is a place for those ideas under his leadership.”
Starmer’s resignation comes at a time of fragmentation in British politics
Keir Starmer has announced his resignation at a time when the British political landscape is fracturing as support for the two parties that dominated it for the last century is waning.
The center-left Labour and center-right Conservative parties have long been the main parties in British politics, though other smaller parties like the centrist Liberal Democrats have played significant roles too.
However, the combined Labour-Tory vote share has decreased significantly in recent years, as voters flock towards the populist left Green Party and the populist hard-right Reform in a sign of their dissatisfaction with the mainstream and the current political instability in Britain. National opinion polls now show a near-five way split with each party competing for roughly 20% of the electorate.
Britain operates under a first-past-the post system – meaning that the candidate with the most votes wins the seat no matter the distribution of votes. That system is more used to dealing with competition between two or three major parties, and has not been tested at a general election with five competitive parties.
When will the next British prime minister take over from Starmer?
As we’ve just reported, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced he will resign.
Attention now turns to whether the Labour Party will hold a competitive leadership contest, or if it stages a political “coronation” of its preferred successor.
In his resignation speech, Starmer said that he will ask his party to set out a timetable for the leadership process, with nominations opening on July 9 until Parliament breaks for summer, a week later.
“In the case of a contest, this will ensure a new leader is in place before parliament returns in September,” Starmer said, adding that he will remain as the prime minister “until the contest is complete.”
All eyes are on Andy Burnham, whose recent victory in the Makerfield by-election has placed him in a position to seek the Labour leadership and potentially emerge as the party’s natural heir. However, no decision has been made and other senior Labour figures could still enter the race.
A prolonged leadership contest could risk instability for the government particularly if the party remains behind in the polls. Whether the transition becomes a genuine contest or de facto coronation will depend on how much support coalesces around Burnham.
Correction: This post has been updated to clarify when Parliament goes on summer recess
Starmer's relationship with Trump was strained by Iran war
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at first appeared to have struck up a productive relationship with US President Donald Trump following the latter’s re-election.
Starmer was once nicknamed the “Trump whisperer” on account of his apparent ability to keep the president on-side, and a meeting between the pair resulted in an “unprecedented” invitation to the US president from Britain’s King Charles III for for a second state visit.
Starmer and Trump last saw each other at last week’s G7 summit in France, and haven’t spoken to each other since, although Trump weighed in on his future yesterday.
It was at the beginning of the US and Israel’s war with Iran, when their relationship first started to fray, after Trump expressed his discontent with Starmer for not allowing the US to use British bases to launch attacks.
The US leader blasted the UK as “very, very uncooperative,” and said that “this is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with” in reference to Starmer.
For his part, Starmer has defended his decision not to join the war, saying he was not prepared to join a conflict “without a plan to get us out.”
In mid-March, Starmer said he had “stood by my principles” and believed that “time will show that we have the right approach.”
“Whether to commit British troops to military action is the most serious responsibility for any prime minister,” Starmer said. “I have been attacked by some for my decision not to join the offensive against Iran.”
Starmer was likely referring to Nigel Farage, the leader of the hard-right Reform UK party and an ally of Trump. Farage has today called for a general election in the UK, following Starmer’s resignation.
In April, Starmer said that his “position on the Iran war has been clear from the start. We’re not going to get dragged into this war.”
CNN’s Christian Edwards contributed to this reporting.
Trump ally Nigel Farage demands election after Starmer resignation
Trump ally Nigel Farage, who leads the hard-right party Reform UK, has “demanded an election” after Keir Starmer announced his resignation.
“If Labour thinks it can shove another professional politician into No 10, it has another thing coming,” Farage wrote in a social media post.
Under British law, the governing Labour Party does not have to hold a general election until 2029, five years after the last one. Governments can choose to hold one sooner if they so wish, though Labour has given no indication it intends to do that.
In recent British political history, it is not uncommon for prime ministers to come to power in between general election cycles, though sometimes they do choose to hold elections shortly after they assume the premiership.
Reform currently leads national opinion polls, even though it currently only has eight MPs in parliament, so it is in Farage’s interest to call for an election. Nonetheless, it remains unclear whether they can translate this lead into a viable election strategy that could be successful in the UK’s first-past-the-post system. In the recent Makerfield by-election, Andy Burnham resoundingly defeated Reform, albeit in very specific conditions.
