By Former British PM Keir Starmer to leave politics
Sir Keir Starmer will trigger a by-election in his North London electorate of Holborn and St Pancras. (Reuters: House of Commons/Handout)
In short:
The former Labour leader says it is time to “pass the baton” to a successor as he triggers a by-election in his North London seat.
Sir Keir Starmer will resign as an MP just over a month after leaving the UK’s top political job.
He resigned as PM in June amid sliding approval ratings and internal pressure within the governing Labour Party over his performance.
Former British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced he will resign as an MP and trigger a by-election in his North London electorate.
His decision, initially announced to a local paper in his constituency, comes just over a month after he was replaced by Andy Burnham as Labour leader and prime minister.
Sir Keir led Labour to an election landslide just two years prior, in July 2024, but was unable to translate that victory into enduring popularity.
The embattled leader experienced some of the worst approval ratings of any British prime minister, leading to internal pressure for him to resign.
Sir Keir announced his resignation from the top job in June and was replaced by Mr Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, the next month after a leadership contest.
In a statement initially given to the Camden New Journal, which covers his Holborn and St Pancras constituency in North London, and later published on his X, Sir Keir said he wanted to “pass the baton to a successor”.
“I will now focus on other things and that will be international affairs including defence, security, trade and technology in a fast-changing world,” he said.
“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.”
Sir Keir became an MP in 2015 after a legal career in which he served as the UK’s Director of Public Prosecutions and the head of the Crown Prosecution Service.
He took over the Labour leadership in the aftermath of a disastrous election defeat under Jeremy Corbyn in 2019, turning the party’s fortunes around through the Covid-19 pandemic by steering it back towards the political centre.
As opposition leader, he prosecuted Labour’s case against Conservative prime ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
Sir Keir’s announcement came as his successor, Andy Burnham, prepared to address the Commons for the first time as PM. (Reuters: Kin Cheung/Pool)
The former two leaders resigned under pressure while Mr Sunak conceded the 2024 election after a poor performance by the Conservative party.
But Sir Keir’s leadership in government was tested on multiple fronts, including sustained voter frustration at the UK’s cost of living, the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as UK Ambassador in Washington despite his alleged links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and controversial changes to the UK’s welfare system.
His tenure was also marked by a continuation of British support for Ukraine, the renationalisation of the UK’s railways, and an attempted arson attack on his private residence in North London.
Sir Keir’s announcement on Tuesday, local time, came on the same day Mr Burnham was due to make his first statement to the UK’s House of Commons as prime minister.
ABC/wires
Originally published on www.abc.net.au — View original
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