Keir Starmer resigns as UK PM and leader of Labour Party

British PM Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he is quitting as prime minister and leader of the Labour Party. This puts Britain on course for its seventh premier in a decade. In a statement outside 10 Downing Street, the PM says his party has been asking whether he's "best placed to lead us into the next general election", adding: "I have heard the answer". Starmer says he'll remain in post until Labour chooses a new leader, which he's asked the party's governing body to ensure happens "before Parliament returns in September".

KEIR STARMER RESIGNS AS UK PRIME MINISTER

The British PM announced he has "heard the answer" on whether he should lead Labour into the next general election and is stepping down

Starmer took office in July 2024 after a landslide win. His exit follows weeks of mounting cabinet… pic.twitter.com/ImJ7CMqNPw

— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) June 22, 2026

Reform Leader Nigel Farage is calling for a general election at the "soonest possible date". In post on X, Farage calls Starmer "the most incompetent prime minister" the UK has had. He claims the "political class" cannot continue to betray voters, reeling off the winter fuel payment u-turn, immigration levels and the shelved Chagos Islands deal as examples of the way Labour has shortchanged those who brought them to power.