Keir Starmer speaks of ‘very personal’ decision to resign as UK Prime Minister
Outgoing British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said his decision to resign as Labor leader and prime minister was a “deeply personal” one, made with his wife and children during a family weekend at Checkers, the British prime minister’s official country residence.Speaking to the BBC in his first interview since announcing his resignation, Starmer said the decision came after careful consideration of what was best for him, the country and the government.
Starmer said: “I wrestled with what was the best thing to do for me, for the country, for the government. In the end the decision became a very personal one. That’s why the decision was ultimately made while Vic and I were away with the children.”Starmer said he reached his final decision during a family holiday at Checkers, where he spent two days with his wife, Victoria, and their children before making the announcement on June 22.“We just spent two days together as a family, and that’s when I came to my final decision,” he said. “Making the decision that your political career is over is a very personal thing, or at least it was for me.”The 63-year-old Labor leader also confirmed that he will continue to serve as an MP for his central London constituency after leaving office but will avoid interfering in the work of his successor.
“(I will) remain closed, instead of constantly advising my successor on what he should do,” he said.Starmer’s resignation prompted an election to lead the Labor Party, and he is widely expected to be succeeded by former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.Although Burnham is considered the favourite, Starmer said he would fully support whoever becomes Labor leader and next prime minister.“I never had any personal animosity towards Andy Burnham,” he said, adding that he would “do everything in his power to make sure” the next government succeeds.Commenting on his time in office, Starmer warned that his successor would continue to face the same international and domestic challenges.“Whoever is my successor will face the same global conflict. We keep saying, and it’s true, that we are in a more dangerous and volatile world than we have been for probably most of my lifetime.”
“This is not just a phrase, this is reality,” he said.He added, “This will not change. The internal challenges will not change.”Responding to criticism that he spent too much time dealing with international affairs, Starmer rejected suggestions that future prime ministers could focus less on global diplomacy.In response to a question about whether his successor could spend less time on international issues, he replied: “No, I do not think that is possible.”“There is often this discussion: What is the right balance between dealing with international affairs and dealing with domestic affairs? They are the same thing,” he said.Starmer also defended his record as Labor leader, saying the years he spent rebuilding the party ahead of the 2024 general election formed a key part of his political legacy.“Labour could have lost, but I stepped forward as leader and together with others we saved Labor,” he said.He described the Labor Party as “politically, financially and morally bankrupt” when he became leader and said rebuilding it had been “hard and bloody work”.However, Starmer admitted he resigned because Labor MPs no longer believed he was the right person to lead the party at the next general election.Despite leaving office, he said he intends to remain in Parliament until at least the next general election.