BREAKING: Keir Starmer announces resignation
The prime minister is departing after two years in office
Keir Starmer has announced he is resigning as prime minister of the United Kingdom.
In a speech outside Downing Street, Starmer confirmed that he was stepping down as leader of the Labour Party and that he had informed the King of this decision.
Starmer used his speech to set out what he saw as the key achievements of his time in office – from reducing NHS waiting list to increasing wages and improving online safety.
However, he went on to say “The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead into the next general election. I have heard the answer from my parliamentary party to that question. And I accept that answer with good grace.
“Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party.”
Starmer then continued by setting out what will happen next. While there has been much speculation that Starmer could be quickly replaced by Andy Burnham in a ‘coronation’, the prime minister instead has indicated that there will be a longer leadership contest.
He said he had asked the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party to open nominations in a leadership contest on the 9th of July and that this contest should end by the ‘summer recess’. This would mean that a new leader would be in place by the time parliament returns in September.
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
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