Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces his resignation to the media outside 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

NNA News- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has quit after conceding he no longer commands the support of Labour MPs. His resignation triggers a leadership contest that could put Andy Burnham in Downing Street within weeks. Starmer will remain as caretaker prime minister until Labour chooses a successor. His last major act in office will be to represent the UK at the NATO summit in The Hague next month. Labour’s National Executive Committee will open nominations on 9 July and aims to wrap up the contest before Parliament rises for the summer.

If Burnham runs unopposed after winning last week’s Makerfield by-election, he could enter No. 10 as early as 16 or 17 July, just ahead of a 22 July “reset” meeting with EU leaders in Brussels. Speaking outside No. 10 Downing Street, Starmer explained he had told King Charles III of his decision. “The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,” Starmer explained. “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.” He described it as a duty to the country. “Every decision I’ve taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party. I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision.”

Burnham returned to Westminster on Monday to be sworn in as MP for Makerfield in northwest England after ousting Reform UK in the by-election. He confirmed he would stand. “It is important that this process be conducted in an orderly and responsible way. I will put myself forward as part of this process,” Burnham added. “Keir has given huge service to our country, and I want to thank him for his leadership and dedication during such a challenging period.” Pressed by journalists on whether he would call a snap election, Burnham declined to answer.

The contest narrowed sharply when former Health Secretary Wes Streeting pulled out and backed Burnham. Streeting quit Starmer’s government last month and had been viewed as the only other figure with enough MP support to run. “Having spoken at length with Andy in recent days, I’m convinced that there is a place for those ideas under his leadership,” Streeting added. “We could spend the summer exaggerating small differences, or we could roll up our sleeves and help him to deliver the change our party and our country need. That is the choice that I am making, and I hope that everyone else will back Andy, too.”

Burnham allies say he has more than 200 Labour MPs behind him, well above the 81 needed to get on the ballot. BBC political editor Henry Zeffman wrote, "This contest appears to be over before it’s begun.”Starmer’s collapse has been rapid. Labour entered office in 2024 with its biggest majority since 1997, promising stability after years of churn. But heavy losses in May’s local elections and the surge of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK rattled MPs. British media reported that senior cabinet ministers urged Starmer to step aside over the weekend and that resignation drafts were prepared on Saturday after he spent time with his wife, Victoria, at Chequers in Buckinghamshire.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces his resignation to the media outside 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

The timing also lands almost 10 years to the day after the 2016 Brexit vote, a decade that has produced seven prime ministers if Burnham takes over next month.

Even as he quit, Starmer turned to family and his voice cracked. “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,” he said. He closed by backing his successor. “I will give my successor my full and unequivocal support. They will inherit a Britain that is far stronger and fairer than the one I inherited two years ago, better prepared for the challenges ahead and better able to ensure the Labour Party secures a second term in office.”

Burnham is due to be sworn in as MP for Makerfield on Monday afternoon. If unopposed, he walks straight into calls on defence spending, growth, and the UK’s post-Brexit ties with the EU.