UK’s Starmer resigns as prime minister
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that he will resign from his post and will step down as the leader of the Labour Party.
In an address outside 10 Downing Street on Monday, Starmer said he already informed King Charles III of his decision and asked the Labour Party to lay out a timetable to elect a new leader by September, adding that he will remain in his post until then.
Starmer became prime minister in 2024 following the Labour Party’s victory in that year’s general election. He has repeatedly vowed to stay in the post, but has faced pressure to resign amid growing discontent and the declining popularity of his party.
His resignation makes him the sixth UK prime minister to leave office in the past ten years.
Despite entering office with a large majority and a promise to restore competence after years of Conservative turmoil, Starmer’s government quickly became associated with tax hikes, welfare cuts, censorship, political scandals, and an increasingly unpopular foreign policy agenda.
He has faced growing backlash over what critics have described as ‘two-tier policing’ and radical censorship, after the authorities cracked down on anti-immigration protesters, online speech, and pro-Palestinian activism, while pushing broader internet controls.
Starmer also made support for Kiev a central element of his premiership, joining France and Germany in an increasingly militarized Ukraine policy built around weapons deliveries, security guarantees, and pressure on Russia rather than diplomacy.
At home, his stance on Ukraine has clashed with Britain’s own defense problems. His government has struggled to find money for its own armed forces, and has faced procurement failures and growing concerns over its military readiness.
Starmer also faced backlash after appointing a politically connected figure with ties to late financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein as ambassador to the US. The scandal reinforced criticism that his government serves an insulated elite while failing to deliver for ordinary voters.
