Keir Starmer announces his departure as Prime Minister and Labour leader, amid emotion in his farewell speech

Keir Starmer has announced that he is stepping down as Prime Minister of Great Britain and also from the leadership of the Labour Party, while also setting a timetable for his departure from Downing Street.

During a public statement, he said that he had heard the concerns raised within his political party about his ability to lead the party into the next election. Starmer added that he “has heard the response” and that he accepts it “with dignity and calm.”

He also announced that he had informed the King of this decision, while asking the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee to set a timetable for the election of the new leader.

According to projections, this process will begin on July 9 and must be completed before the British parliament’s summer recess, so that the new leader can take office before parliament returns in September.

Starmer stressed that during the transfer of power, his successor would have his full support.

The departure announcement was accompanied by strong emotion in his farewell speech. He appeared visibly moved and with tears in his eyes as he accepted his resignation from the post of Prime Minister, just a little less than two years after Labour’s landslide electoral victory in 2024.