British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday he will resign from his post and will make room for a successor, likely to be former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Burnham confirmed shortly after that he will indeed seek to replace Starmer as the leader of the Labour Party, instantly becoming the favorite. Nominations to replace Starmer will begin on July 9 and close a week after, when Parliament breaks up for its summer recess.
Speaking to supporters outside No. 10 Downing Street, Starmer said “the question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election.”
“I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace,” he added. Starmer went on to say “wvery decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first,” and that is “why I will resign.”
Burnham released a statement of his own following the announcement, saying it “marks the beginning of a transition and it is important that this process is conducted in an orderly and responsible way.” “I will put myself forward as part of this process,” he added.
NBC News noted that one of the people expected to challenge Burnham, former health secretary Wes Streeting, announced that he will back his bid as he could “win the fight of our lives against the forces of nationalism.”
Starmer’s popularity nosedived after a landslide win two years ago, with a third of all Labour lawmakers in the House of Commons publicly calling for his resignation. The development means that Britain will have a seventh prime minister in 10 years, with no leader managing to stay long in power after Brexit.
Burnham quickly rose in the ranks after winning a special election for a seat in Parliament last Thursday. Nicknamed the “King of the North,” he defied the political trend in the country by defeating a candidate from Reform UK, the party led by Nigel Farage that made historic gains in recent regional elections.
“We have an opportunity to turn the tide, to make the country feel like it’s working again, to make people see that politics can make a positive difference, to make people feel hope again,” Burnham said after his election victory last week.
Source link
#Keir #Starmer #Announces #Resignation #British #Prime #Minister #Clearing #Path #Andy #Burnham
