Keir Starmer quits Parliament weeks after leaving No 10, triggering key London by-election
Keir Starmer is to step down as a Labour MP after resigning as Prime Minister earlier this summer.
The former PM’s decision to leave Parliament will trigger a by-election to replace him in the London constituency, Holborn and St Pancras. The timetable for choosing candidates will be set out in the coming weeks.
He told the Camden New Journal that after leaving No10 at the end of July, he had reflected on the future and that he was ready to “pass the baton to a successor”. The ex-PM previously said he planned to remain as an MP until the next general election, which is expected to be in 2029.
His announcement came hours before Andy Burnham was due to make his first appearance as PM in the House of Commons. The former Greater Manchester mayor became Labour leader after no viable challenger emerged, paving his way to replace Mr Starmer in Downing Street in July.
At the 2024 general election, Mr Starmer won a bumper majority of more than 11,500 in the area. But the Green Party has since been making progress in London, including causing major upsets for Labour during May’s local elections.
The former PM’s constituency is expected to be a key target area for the Greens. A by-election in the capital would also be a significant opportunity for its leader Zack Polanski - who is a London Assembly member - to try to become an MP.
Reacting to Mr Starmer standing down in the area, a Green Party spokesman told the Mirror: "Zack has always made it clear he would like to be a London MP. London has been his home for over 20 years."
Mr Starmer - who became an MP after an esteemed career as a barrister - said he plans to focus on international affairs and tackling violence against women and girls in his days after Parliament.
He told the New Journal: “It has been a huge honour and privilege to represent the best constituency in the country and to have taken over from Frank Dobson, who was such a great constituency MP and a member of the last Labour government. I will now focus on other things and that will be international affairs including defence, security, trade and technology in a fast-changing world."
Mr Starmer - who served as director of public prosecutions from 2008 to 2013 - added: “I will also continue, as I have done for a long time now with others, work on combating violence against women and girls; that is an issue that matters to me hugely. It’s work I started before I became an MP and it’s work I’m keen to continue after I’m an MP.
"So international affairs on the one hand, and continuing my work on violence against women and girls on the other.”
Labour constituency party staff in the area have been told of his decision to leave Parliament. Mr Starmer has represented the constituency for eleven years.
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