(Labour Party) resigned this Monday (June 22, 2026) as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after . He stated that he spoke this Monday morning with King Charles III to inform him of his decision. The statement at 10 Downing Street (address of the Prime Minister’s office and residence).
Starmer, 63, was facing a crisis in his government, with calls from members of his party to resign. With the announcement of his exit plan, he paves the way for , who won a seat in the British Parliament last Thursday (June 18), to become prime minister.
In his statement, Starmer said he accepts “with elegance” who is not the best person to lead the Labor Party in the next elections.
“The question my party is asking now is whether I am the best person to lead us in the next general election. I have listened to my parliamentary group’s answer to that question and I accept it gladly. Every decision I have made has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will step down as leader of the Labor Party.”he declared.
WHO IS KEIR STARMER
A lawyer, Starmer began to gain prominence when he was appointed “director of public prosecutions” for England and Wales in 2008. The position is known by the acronym DPP and is part of the British Public Prosecutor’s Office. The DPP commands criminal prosecution and is second only to the attorney general, having the power to begin an investigation. Starmer held the position until 2013. In 2014 he received the title of knight commander of the Order of the Bath, granted by the then Prince Charles, now the King of the United Kingdom.
A reserved and late politician, Starmer was elected deputy for the first time at the age of 52, in 2015. He is called a leftist by his opponents, but is considered more moderate than Jeremy Corbyn, the Labor leader he succeeded as leader of the party, in April 2020.
In his youth, in 1986 and 1987, Starmer of the magazine Socialist Alternativesa now-defunct publication that defended the ideas of Leon Trotsky (1879-1940), one of the leaders of the Russian Revolution of 1917. In more contemporary politics, Starmer was against the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union, a process that became known as Brexit (a combination of the words “Britain” and “exit”).
Starmer took office in July 2024. He held the position for 14 years – the party’s last leader had been Gordon Brown, from 2007 to 2010.
Discontent with Starmer’s leadership had been growing in recent times, including within the Labor Party, due to controversial decisions and falling popularity.
In February, for example, the politician was criticized for the way he handled the revelation that Peter Mandelson, whom he appointed to be UK ambassador to the USA at the end of 2024 – a position he took up in September 2025 –, was guilty of sexual crimes. The case caused, within a week, 3 senior officials from Starmer’s office.
The Labor Party’s defeat in local and regional elections in England, Scotland and Wales in May intensified pressure on Starmer to resign.
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