‘My job is done’: Keir Starmer quits as PM, says UK ‘stronger and fairer’

Keir Starmer quit as UK Prime Minister on Monday, declaring “my job is done” as he prepares to hand power to Andy Burnham after Labor forced him to resign.While delivering his farewell speech outside 10 Downing Street before heading to Buckingham Palace to submit his resignation to King Charles III, Starmer stressed that Britain was “stronger and fairer than it was two years ago” when he took office.“I will go with great grace, I will go with a smile and be proud of everything we have achieved,” he told reporters outside Downing Street.Burnham is set to officially become British Prime Minister after King Charles invited him to form a government at Buckingham Palace.

He will be the UK’s seventh prime minister since 2016 and takes office after replacing Starmer as Labor leader on Friday.The British parliamentary system allows the ruling party to change its leader – and thus the Prime Minister – without holding a general election. The next national vote is scheduled to take place by 2029, although Burnham could call for it to be held earlier.After meeting the King, Burnham will return to Downing Street to deliver his first speech as Prime Minister.

According to his spokesman, he will acknowledge the repeated changes in the country’s leadership over the past decade and pledge to restore political stability.The letter reiterates a promise Starmer made when he took office two years ago. However, after a series of policy missteps and declining support within the Labor Party, he announced last month that he would step down.Burnham was the only candidate in the Labor leadership contest, receiving nominations from 379 of the party’s 403 MPs in the House of Commons.

The former Mayor of Greater Manchester has pledged to make politics “less toxic”, raise living standards and “restore the hope we have all lost”.“I will work to build a new politics,” Burnham pledged after becoming Labor leader on Friday. “The country is crying about it.”Attention will now turn to Burnham’s Cabinet appointments, with changes expected at key departments, including the Treasury, Foreign Affairs and Home Office.In his first speech as Labor leader, Burnham praised Starmer’s record and promised to “build on the foundation laid” by his predecessor.Starmer, who became Labor leader in 2020 after one of the party’s worst election defeats, led the party to a landslide victory four years later. But his premiership was ultimately undermined by mounting governing challenges.During final Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Starmer defended his government’s record, highlighting its support for Ukraine, stronger protections for workers, measures to reduce child poverty, legislation aimed at preventing official cover-ups after national tragedies, and increased defense spending.“I am proud to leave this country in a better position than I found it,” he declared.(with AP input)