Starmer quits as PM after Burnham’s Makerfield victory triggers Labour collapse

The Labour leader concedes to growing pressure following Andy Burnham’s victory against Reform UK in Makerfield.

Keir Starmer has announced he will resign as prime minister after days of intense pressure from Labour MPs, including cabinet ministers, following Andy Burnham’s return to Westminster.

Less than two years after a historical election victory, Starmer faced calls from his MPs to outline a timeline for his departure, with many concerned about the threat from Nigel Farage’s party ahead of the next general election.

Although Starmer insisted on Friday that he would contest any leadership challenge, discussions with ministers and time spent with his wife Victoria at Chequers over the weekend seem to have decisively changed his mind.

More than half a dozen cabinet ministers are believed to have privately told him that his time is up, while Starmer and his inner circle began drafting a resignation speech on Saturday.

Starmer’s decision to announce his departure could spark a race among Labour MPs to become the UK’s seventh prime minister in 10 years, with Burnham — who successfully defended against a Reform challenge to win the Makerfield by-election — being the frontrunner.

However, it could also lead to a coronation if no other candidates — potentially including the health secretary Wes Streeting — secure the 81 nominations required, or if they reach an agreement with the former mayor of Greater Manchester.

Starmer will remain in office at Downing Street until any leadership contest or transfer of power is completed, leaving his successor to face significant challenges regarding the UK economy and a tenuous international situation.

Some Labour MPs are worried that Burnham may not be prepared for the role and want him to undergo the scrutiny of a full contest, while others fear it would further harm Labour’s public ratings, advocating for a quick transition instead.

Starmer steps down after months of pressure regarding his leadership, which was nearly derailed in February when Anas Sarwar, the party’s leader in Scotland, called for his resignation. At that time, the cabinet stood by him.

Despite his low personal approval ratings, he seemed on stronger ground recently due to his handling of the Middle East crisis and his refusal to follow Donald Trump’s lead by taking the UK into a war with Iran.

However, any respite was shattered when the Guardian revealed in April that Peter Mandelson, his controversial choice for UK ambassador to Washington, had been appointed despite failing his security vetting.

Mandelson’s appointment was the latest in what many within Labour view as a series of political missteps by Starmer, including cuts to winter fuel payments and welfare, which contributed to the party’s decline in the polls.

His willingness to reverse those decisions only added to his unpopularity among the parliamentary Labour party, large segments of which increasingly saw him as weak and ineffective. Some MPs were also concerned about his poor communication skills.

Numerous MPs were shocked by the extent of Starmer’s unpopularity among the public as they campaigned during the May elections, which many believed became a focus for broader frustrations with the political system itself.

As the results arrived, with substantial losses nationwide, the magnitude of the electoral challenge facing Labour became apparent, and the voices from MPs calling for Starmer to set an exit date turned into a steady flow.

The increasingly unstable nature of Starmer’s premiership was highlighted by the resignation of Streeting days later — after seemingly failing to gather the support to launch a challenge — followed by a vacancy in the Makerfield seat, providing Burnham a path back to parliament.

Since then, he has also lost his defense secretary John Healey over military spending plans, and a consensus formed among Labour MPs that Starmer’s leadership was so fragile that — despite his insistence on continuing to fight — his days in Downing Street were numbered.

Starmer’s departure marks a dramatic fall from grace since becoming only the fourth Labour leader to win an election, securing more seats in 2024 than anyone since Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide.