UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation nearly two years after he assumed office.
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The world leader made his announcement outside 10 Downing Street on Monday. “The question my party is asking me now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,” he explained. “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accepted that answer with good grace.”
Starmer has notably been the leader of the UK’s Labour Party since 2020 and was elected the Prime Minister in the country’s 2024 election.
During his announcement, Stamer asked Labour Party leaders to open nominations for his successor on July 9. He did not reveal the date of his departure from 10 Downing Street. However, he expected a new Prime Minister to assume office by September, which is when Parliament returns from its summer recess.
The resignation comes just after Starmer faced criticism from both inside and outside of the Labour Party.
Meanwhile, Any Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester and potential successor of Starmer, issued a statement following the announcement.
“People want to see progress on economic growth, cost of living, public services, housing, and opportunities for the next generation,” he said. “Political change should never distract from the responsibility to improve people’s lives.”
The next Prime Minister will be the seventh that the UK has had within a decade.
President Trump Predicted Starmer’s Resignation Over the Weekend
In a post on Truth Social last weekend, President Trump predicted that Starmer would announce his resignation.
“Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom,” Trump wrote. “He failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well!”
The president did not reveal if he had spoken to Starmer about the resignation. However, it was reported that Trump and Starmer hadn’t spoken since they were seen at the G7 Summit in France.
A Downing Street spokesperson even spoke to CNN regarding Trump’s comment. “There’s more to do, and that’s what I’m focused on, what I was elected to do, which is to serve my country.”
However, British Business Secretary Peter Kyle stated that Starmer was reflecting on “political realities” just before his resignation announcement.