UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer quits

Will stay on until successor is chosen

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces his resignation during a press conference outside 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, June 22, 2026.(livestream image)

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned on Monday, paving the way for Britain to have its seventh prime minister in just over a decade.

He said he was stepping down as leader of the governing Labour Party but would remain caretaker prime minister until a new head is chosen by the party.

Andy Burnham, who won a special parliamentary election last week, confirmed that he will run to succeed Starmer.

Starmer hugs his wife Victoria after he announced his resignation outside 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, June 22, 2026. (livestream image)

Starmer won a landslide victory in the 2024 general election, but a series of missteps badly damaged his credibility.

His resignation comes the day before Britain marks the 10th anniversary of its vote to leave the European Union, a decision that still roils the country’s economy and politics.

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