Keir Starmer resignation: In just two short years, UK Prime Minister bows to the inevitable
LATIKA M BOURKE: While the UK PM used his exit speech to list his achievements in office, it was many of those same issues, such as migration and military spending, that sparked his crashing poll figures.
Post-Brexit Britain will have its seventh prime minister in the ten years since the country voted to leave the European Union, after Keir Starmer has bowed to the inevitable, resigning as leader of the Labour Party on Monday.
Despite having delivered his party government in a massive landslide just two years ago, Britain’s central challenges of low economic growth, higher welfare spending, low-wage economy, the small boats migrant crisis in the English Channel and mounting defence costs, combined with Sir Keir’s dour and robotic style, caused the Government’s standing to crash in the opinion polls.
In a lacklustre and at times emotional resignation speech, Sir Keir said that walking into Downing Street two years ago had been the proudest moment of his life but said his party was now asking itself who was the best leader to lead the party.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace. Every decision I’ve taken has been about putting the country I love first,” he said.
“That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party. I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision. I will ask the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party to set out a timetable with nominations opening on the 9th of July. And completed by the summer recess.”
His voice cracked as he paid tribute to his wife and children for standing by his side during his short term as leader. After finishing his speech with tears, he hugged his wife Vic who was standing to the side outside Number 10.
Sir Keir promised that he would unequivocally support the new leader, likely to be Andy Burnham, whose stunning election in last week’s byelection in Makerfield, Manchester forced Monday’s prime ministerial resignation.
He did not say that he would leave parliament. He listed what he said were his many achievements including restoring the Labour party to a more centrist party after the Corbyn-era claiming to have “inherited a Labour Party that was politically, financially, and morally bankrupt.”
“I was told time and time again that my party was finished, that we were consigned to history, that a majority at the general election, let alone a landslide majority, was impossible. But we proved those people wrong because we changed our party, ripping out the poison of antisemitism, restoring trust on the economy, defence, and national security, and becoming a party that once again stood proudly with, not against, our national flag.”
However, it was many of those issues that caused his slide in the polls, including on migration and most recently the resignation of his defence secretary John Healey over his failure to boost spending on the military.
Luke Akehurst MP told The Nightly: “History will probably be kinder to Keir Starmer than the opinion polls have been. He achieved what many said was impossible by taking Labour from a broken party, morally compromised by anti-Semitism, at the end of the Corbyn era, to a landslide win. The important thing now is the unity of the party as we attempt to recover lost supporters.”
Many Labour MPs who have called for Sir Keir to quit believe that he could continue serving.
Catherine West, the Australian-born Labour MP, who threatened to launch a leadership challenge if the party did not resolve the crisis, previously called for him to continue serving in an international role, as he is respected on the world stage.
The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said a statement on social media that it took many leaders years to grow into the statesman Sir Keir became in just two.
“European and Ukrainian security is stronger because of you. Thank you, dear Keir,” she said.
Opposition figures, including Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage immediately called for a general election.
“Reform demands an election, and we are ready to deliver radical change. If Labour thinks it can shove another professional politician into No 10, it has another thing coming,” he said.
