BBC News is reporting that Sir Keir Starmer has said he will quit as Labour Party leader, paving the way for a contest to decide a new prime minister.
Speaking in Downing Street, Sir Keir said he accepted he was not best placed to lead Labour into the next general election and he had informed the King of his decision to step down.
Sir Keir added he has asked Labour’s governing body to set out a timetable to replace him, with nominations opening on 9 July and ending by the summer recess on 16 July.
He said if there was a contest, then a new leader would be in place before Parliament returns in September, and he will “do everything” he can to ensure an “orderly” transition of power.
Sir Keir said he would remain as prime minister until the leadership contest is complete.
He added he would also give his successor “my full and unequivocal support, knowing that they will inherit a Britain that is far stronger and fairer than the one I inherited two years ago”.
Sir Keir was elected leader of the Labour Party in April 2020 and became prime minister on 5 July 2024 following Labour’s general election victory.
His decision to step down means the UK will soon have its seventh prime minister since 2016.
Sir Keir was accompanied by his wife, Victoria, as he walked out of 10 Downing Street to deliver his resignation speech.
Watched by his supporters, colleagues and No 10 staff, Sir Keir’s voice cracked with emotion as he spoke of what his focus will be on next.
He said: “When I leave the biggest job in the country, I shall spend more time on the most important job: being the best husband I can to my fantastic wife, Vic, who has been a rock by my side through good times and bad; and being the best dad I can to my beautiful children, who are my pride and my joy.”
Meanwhile, former Health Secretary Wes Streeting has backed Andy Burnham to be the next Labour leader.
Sir Keir is setting 9 July as the start date for a party leadership contest.
He said he would ask Labour to set out a timetable that would see a new leader in place by the time Parliament returns from its summer recess on 1 September.
It comes as Mr Burnham returns to parliament following his victory in Thursday’s Makerfield by-election, having secured a decisive majority over Reform.
Mr Streeting said he was convinced that Mr Burnham “is committed to building an inclusive party that draws on the best of our political traditions and that he can win the fight of our lives against the force of nationalism”.
The prime minister’s time in office has undoubtedly been marred by a series of rowbacks and climbdowns, from the watering down of the government’s flagship benefits bill to a major U-turn on the controversial winter fuel cut.
Top of page picture: Sir Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham MP, the person widely tipped to be his successor in Downing Street.
Looking at having a 7th Prime Minister in 10 years now.
What a state of affairs.
The UK is a Brexit Banana Republic