London. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that he would resign, with a new leader expected to be in place by the time Parliament returns in September, paving the way for Britain to have its seventh leader in 10 years.
Less than two years after securing a landslide election victory that promised to restore stability to British politics, Starmer said it had become clear that his party wanted him to step aside.
He said nominations for his successor would open on July 9, with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham emerging as the frontrunner.
"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 said.
Pressure on Starmer, which had been building for months, intensified on Friday after Burnham decisively won a parliamentary by-election, defeating a candidate from Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, which has led national opinion polls for more than a year.
