22 June 2026 – Keir Starmer announced his resignation as Prime Minister of Great Britain and Labour Party leader.
In a dramatic speech before Downing Street 10 Starmer reported that his parliamentary party no longer supports him as a leader before the next election. The decision ends a few months of crisis in the Labour Party, full of internal rebellions, poor results in polls and local elections.
What led to the resignation?
Starmer took office after the crushing Labour victory in July 2024 (174 majority tickets). However, his governments quickly encountered serious problems:
- Increasing energy prices
- High net immigration
- Internal conflicts in the party
- Fatal results in local elections and by-elections
In recent weeks, the pressure to resign has increased. More and more Labour MPs have called for a change of leader, and Starmer's favorite has become Andy Burnham – the former mayor of Greater Manchester, who has just won the supplementary election.
Starmer announced an orderly change of power. The election of the new Labour Party leader is scheduled to begin on 9 July, and the new Party chief is due to be elected by September.
Reactions
Starmer's decision was accepted with relief by some Labourers, but also with criticism from the right. Donald Trump commented on the case on Truth Social, writing that Starmer "failed badly" ("failed badly").
United Kingdom has now had its seventh Prime Minister in the last 10 years – which underlines the instability of the British political scene.
