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Less than two years after winning a landslide election that promised to end the chaos in British politics, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says it is clear that his party wanted him out.
LONDON, United Kingdom – Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday, June 22, he will resign, and a new leader will be in power when parliament returns in September, paving the way for Britain to have its seventh leader in 10 years.
Under two years after winning the election by a landslide which promised to end the chaos in British politics, Starmer said it was clear that his party wanted him to go.
He said nominations for anyone to replace him will open on July 9. However, his opponent Andy Burnham is the clear frontrunner.
“The question that my party is currently asking is whether I have a good chance to lead us in the next general election, I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace,” he said.
The pressure had been building for months
The threat to Starmer, which had been building for months, intensified on Friday when Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, won the parliamentary election to return to Westminster, defeating the candidate from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which has led national opinion polls for more than a year.
The victory gave Labor MPs hope that Burnham, a politician known for his communication skills, could turn around the fortunes of a party that has lost support under Starmer, whose popularity ratings have fallen to the lowest of any British leader.
Starmer thanked his colleagues for their support, his voice cracking with emotion as he also paid tribute to his wife and children.
The pound and UK government bonds were steady after Starmer’s announcement, which investors had been expecting.
Despite the attempt at a smooth handover, the change is not without risk.
Other than saying that the country needs fundamental changes and reducing the cost of living, Burnham has not yet made clear his outlook on foreign affairs, the economy and defense.
Like Starmer, he would have little room for maneuver, besieged by bond-market investors opposed to any additional borrowing, and facing angry voters who believe the country is not functioning properly.
Britain already has the highest borrowing costs in the Group of Seven rich nations due to its high debt and interest payments, years of anemic economic growth, its problems with spending cuts and the need to invest in areas such as defence.
Investors spoken to by Reuters were divided on whether Burnham, who said last September that the UK had to “go beyond this thing of being in the bond market” would respect the need to reassure markets.
Since then he said he was misrepresented.
“In our view, a Burnham premiership would inherit a dire financial situation with few tools to effect meaningful change,” economists at Citibank said Friday.
Starmer had promised to fight any challenge
Starmer said on Friday he would stand down from any official party leadership contest that sought to replace him. But that seemed to change over the weekend.
Whoever replaces Starmer will be Britain’s seventh prime minister since the Brexit vote to leave the European Union 10 years ago this week.
The turnover – the highest in Britain in nearly two centuries – underlines the struggle to retain the support of voters angry at repeated failures to improve living standards, public services and tackle illegal immigration.
The Eurasia political consultancy said the best outcome would be for Starmer to say he would resign in September, allowing him to attend an EU-UK summit in July and give Burnham time to prepare for government. – Rappler.com
