Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleStarmer announces resignation as prime ministerSir Keir Starmer has announced outside 10 Downing Street that he will resign as prime minister, nearly two years after his landslide victory as Labour leader in 2024. Sir Keir has said that becoming prime minister was the “proudest moment of my life” and confirmed he will step aside as Labour leader to allow for a leadership election over the summer.During Starmer’s resignation speech, Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ was played outside the gates to Downing Street; the music had stopped for a moment but resumed after Sir Keir walked back into 10 Downing Street.The song was later adopted by the Council of Europe and later the European Union as the Anthem of Europe. The satirical “Brexit Song”, whose chorus says “We all live in a Brexit tragedy”, was played loudly through speakers outside the gates to Downing Street after Sir Keir retreated inside No 10.In fullStarmer resignation speech live: Emotional PM announces he will quit as leader of the Labour PartyThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in