British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced he has quit as leader of the Labour party and will stay on as PM until a new leader is chosen.Andy Burnham, who was sworn in as the MP for Makerfield on Monday local time, has announced he will stand for the position.Nominations will open for the Labour leadership position on July 9.World leaders, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have delivered tributes to the outgoing prime minister.Collapse all postsFilter PostsAll43Key Events8Tue 23 Jun 2026 at 12:23amTue 23 Jun 2026 at 12:23amA recap on Sir Keir Starmer's resignationIt's been a big day in UK politics, not entirely unexpected, but very significant nonetheless with Sir Keir Starmer announcing his resignation as leader of the Labour party which means he will no longer be PM once a new leader is chosen.Let's take a look at how the day has unfolded.Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation at 10 Downing Street and unveiled a timeline for his replacement.Sir Keir was the UK's sixth prime minister in 10 years and had been in the position for two years.Nominations will open for the Labour leadership position on July 9 and close July 16, with the new prime minister to be in place before parliament resumes on September 1.Andy Burnham was sworn in as the new Makerfield MP and has announced he will stand to become the next PM.Andy Burnham is currently the only MP to announce his plans to apply for the position.Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, along with many other world leaders, have praised Starmer's contribution to the UK. Thanks for joining us this evening. We're going to leave our live coverage here. Good night!Tue 23 Jun 2026 at 12:14amTue 23 Jun 2026 at 12:14amWho will stand against Andy Burnham? Maybe no oneBy Europe correspondent Elias ClureAndy Burnham now appears to have a very clear path to becoming prime minister after six weeks of political manoeuvring by his political allies in Westminster.Former health secretary, Wes Streeting, who had threatened to challenge Sir Keir Starmer is now backing Mr Burnham, despite coming from an opposing faction to the former Manchester Mayor.Streeting’s supporters in the centre-right or “Blaire” sect of the party are now likely to offer their support to Mr Burnham as well. Ed Milliband, a former Labour leader who was also said to be jostling for the leadership, has reportedly been offered a senior role in the cabinet should Mr Burnham become prime minister.And it’s now expected he’ll also throw his support behind the new Makerfield MP.Angela Rayner is a long-time political ally and friend of Andy Burnham. (Reuters: James Manning)Former Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, has also been touted as a future PM and there had been speculation that she would also run in a leadership contest.But Ms Rayner and Andy Burnham are considered long-time political allies and personal friends.The pair are in the same “soft left” Labour faction and have worked closely together as prominent politicians in Manchester.Former US president Harry Truman once said, "if you want loyalty in politics...buy a dog”. Political allegiances can always change but Angela Rayner has given no indication she will stand against her old mate.There may be other MPs waiting for the dust to settle before they announce a challenge, but at this stage Mr Burnham’s path to Number 10 appears to be very smooth indeed.Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 11:55pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 11:55pmPM's exit timeline leaves UK without a leader, opposition saysBy Claire CampbellThe leader of the Conservative Party - otherwise known as the Tories - Kemi Badenoch has accused the outgoing prime minister of partaking in a "farewell tour" after Sir Keir Starmer unveiled the timeline for his departure.The timeline is as follows:July 9 - Nominations open to become leader of the Labour Party.July 16 - Nominations close. If there's only one candidate, they will automatically become leader, otherwise a leadership contest will be held.September 1 - Parliament resumes with a new prime minister.But Badenoch says that leaves the UK without a leader for more than two months."The country is not being governed and Labour say there won't be a Prime Minister till September," she wrote on X."Keir Starmer is off on a farewell tour and Andy Burnham wants a summer holiday."Neither is thinking about our national security."Key EventMon 22 Jun 2026 at 11:47pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 11:47pmAndy Burnham sworn in as MPBy Claire CampbellAndy Burnham has just been sworn in as the new MP for Makerfield in the House of Commons.Andy Burnham is sworn in as MP for Makerfield. (House of Commons)There was lots of cheering from the Labour bench during the brief swearing in ceremony when he took the oath.Andy Burnham arrives at Houses of Parliament to be sworn in. (Reuters: Jack Taylor )Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 11:35pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 11:35pmThe six leaders the UK has seen in the past decadeBy Nelli SaarinenWith Keir Starmer's resignation, Britain will be preparing for its seventh prime minister in a decade.The chaos dates back to the Brexit referendum — where the British public voted in favour of leaving the European Union — 10 years ago.Prior to Brexit, Conservative PM David Cameron held the position for six years.He quit in June 2016, after the referendum (which he introduced despite supporting Britain's EU membership) passed with 52 per cent of those who voted choosing to leave the EU.Theresa May succeeded him, but quit in 2019 after failing to negotiate a deal on how Britain should leave the union.Boris Johnson then took over the Conservative party leadership and led the party to election victory, but stepped down following a long list of scandals (including the infamous partygate) in July 2022.Liz Truss succeeded Johnson in September 2022, but only lasted 44 days before resigning because the unfunded tax cuts in her "mini-budget" caused chaos on the financial markets.Rishi Sunak became the next Conservative prime minister in October 2022, pledging to restore stability, but lost the 2024 election.Labour leader Keir Starmer became prime minister after winning the election in July 2024— and resigned today, just two years later, leaving the job open for the next contender.Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 11:25pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 11:25pmToo early to talk about UK election, Andy Burnham saysBy Claire CampbellAndy Burnham, who is currently the frontrunner to replace Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister, said there were many steps ahead when asked if he planned to call a general election in the UK.Burnham has just arrived in London from Manchester to be formally sworn in as the new MP for Makerfield after he won a by-election last week.Andy Burnham has travelled from Manchester to London to be sworn in as the MP for Makerfield. (Reuters: Temilade Adelaja)When asked if he would call an election, which he could only do if he became leader of the Labour Party, Burnham said: "You're jumping several hurdles ahead there."Burnham is the only MP who has so far confirmed he will enter the leadership contest, with nominations due by mid-July.Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 11:15pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 11:15pmAngela Rayner pays tribute to Starmer's legacyBy Nelli SaarinenAngela Rayner, a Labour MP and former Deputy Prime Minister under Sir Keir Starmer, has hailed his achievements in office despite previously criticising his direction as leader.Rayner resigned as Starmer's deputy in September 2025 after admitting to underpaying tax on her property, breaching ministerial code.She was later cleared of deliberate wrongdoing in an investigation by UK tax authorities."I was proud to serve as Deputy as he led our party into government," Rayner wrote."History will remember not just the challenges he faced but the achievements he oversaw. I pay tribute to his record of dedicated public service."Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 11:05pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 11:05pmIs Burnham the man to claw back support from Reform?By Nelli SaarinenAndy Burnham's supporters feel that he is the man to help Labour beat the growing popularity of Reform UK, says Casey Briggs, the ABC's Chief Elections and Data Analyst.Reform UK is a populist, right-wing party led by veteran politician Nigel Farage, one of the chief architects of Brexit — the UK's referendum to leave the European Union."[Andy Burnham] and his allies are pointing to the Makerfield by-election result that saw him win very convincingly over Reform. This is a seat that Reform ... would have been hoping to pick up," Briggs says."It's one of the seats that they think the demographics … lend themselves to a Reform pick up at some point. Yet they came actually not even a close second in that race."So, Andy Burnham and his supporters would be saying if anyone can beat Reform, that result proves that Andy Burnham is the guy. "Reform UK has overtaken Labour to lead national polls in the UK.It has cannibalised the support of the Conservative Party, Briggs says, which helped the Labour Party achieve its landslide 2024 win."It is very interesting that yes, as we're seeing in Australia, this right-wing, anti–immigration party, a little bit like One Nation — the closest sort of analogue to Australian politics — is not just nipping at the heels of the two major parties, it's overtaken it."Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 10:55pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 10:55pm'Incredibly popular': Who is Andy Burnham?By Nelli SaarinenAndy Burnham, a former long-time MP who is standing to become the UK's next PM, is "incredibly popular" and "can relate to people", according to one of his most vocal supporters.Former UK health secretary Alan Johnson has told the ABC Mr Burnham had "a bit of stardust sprinkled over him"."Interestingly enough, he's the first leader of the Labour Party from the north [of England] since Harold Wilson way back in the '60s and early '70s. That kind of means something over here."Mr Burnham last week won a by-election in Makerfield in England's north-west by a convincing margin in what had been expected to be a tight contest.It means he will return to parliament. He was previously an MP for around 16 years before resigning to become the mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017."He's a very natural guy. He's not away with the fairies on the left. He's a moderate," Mr Johnson said."And he's very good at getting things done — has been in Manchester, very different job being prime minister, but that has built his reputation."Key EventMon 22 Jun 2026 at 10:44pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 10:44pmMixed reaction from the UK public to the PM's resignationBy Claire CampbellThere's been a lot of support for Sir Keir Starmer within Westminster.But what's the feeling among voters?"It doesn't matter. The situation, it doesn't help. It’s just [a] new face, but the same," Dmitry Serbukhov, a 45-year-old chauffeur said."It just seems to be a modern day phenomenon that British prime ministers don't last very long. So I was very, disappointed with that," Charles Guthrie, a 52-year-old lawyer said.Alex Brett said the UK needed a change. (Reuters)"I'm glad, really. Just needed a change. I think like most of the country are probably just feeling the same way. I'm just worried it's going to be, out of the frying pan and into the fire now, with potentially this Andy Burnham coming in," Alex Brett, a pest control agent, said.For 37-year-old Bart Kuchrski, who has lived in London for 18 years, change can't come soon enough."Right now, you just work like a slave, and you don’t have money for nothing. I'm a hardworking labourer. I work in a construction site, and it's really, this country went down for a couple of years already," he said.Nannette Quinn said it was worth giving Andy Burnham a chance. (Reuters) "I think Andy Burnham might be a good idea. I think give him a chance. Can't be any worse than anyone else that's tried," Nannette Quinn, a paralegal, said.Reporting with ReutersMon 22 Jun 2026 at 10:36pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 10:36pmBrexit vote a decade on: Britain appears less stableBy Syan Vallance in LondonSir Keir Starmer resigned one day before the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum, in which the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union.Back then, 51.9 per cent of voters chose to leave the EU and after several delays, Brexit became official on January 31, 2020.In the years since, critics claim the decision has hurt the UK's economy, while the most vocal supporters of the decision claim the country just isn't capitalising on the opportunities outside the EU.Analysts I've spoken to say the divisions created by Brexit have made the nation difficult to govern.Before 2016, the British political system was traditionally very stable.There have been 58 British Prime Ministers since Sir Robert Walpole first took the role on in 1721. There have been six since Brexit, and by September, there'll one more.Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 10:24pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 10:24pmEnormous anger towards politicians in Labour heartlandBy Europe Correspondent Elias ClureI’ve spent a lot of time in some of Britain’s most deprived areas, cities and towns that were once considered Labour heartland.There is enormous anger towards politicians in these parts of the UK and a feeling that blue-collar workers have been ignored by leaders in Westminster for decades.Despite his own working-class upbringing, Sir Keir struggled to cut through to voters in these communities.In towns like Blackburn or Hull in England’s north or Newport in the south of Wales, people would describe the PM as being “out of touch” or “weak”.Others would just roll their eyes or scoff at the very mention of him. Sir Keir Starmer announces the timeline for his resignation outside 10 Downing Street. (Reuters: Jaimi Joy )Polling certainly reflects the feeling of contempt towards the outgoing Prime Minister; the latest YouGov polling shows that 74 per cent of UK voters think the PM is doing a bad job, it was as high as 81 per cent at the start of the year.Sir Keir’s falling popularity in some traditional Labour areas has opened the door for Reform, the right-wing populist party led by Nigel Farage, and spooked Labour MPs.Put simply, Sir Keir’s colleagues no longer thought he could beat Mr Farage in a general election and were worried swathes of MPs in Labour constituencies would lose their seats.Mr Farage has a simple message which is effectively "Britain is broken and only we can fix it", linking many of Britain's problems to high immigration.And that simple message appears to be cutting through given the UK’s poorest areas have seen wages stagnate and inflation rise, as well as, NHS waiting times balloon and councils cutting back on things like waste collection and road maintenance.Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 10:10pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 10:10pmStarmer won in a landslide less than two years ago. What happened?By Nelli SaarinenWhen Sir Keir Starmer was elected in a landslide win less than two years ago, most people expected him to last in the job, says Jill Rutter, a senior fellow with the Institute for Government and was a civil servant in the British Treasury."I think most people thought, well, this looks like a prime minister who should serve out the full four or five years that we expect our prime ministers to serve," Ms Rutter told the ABC.But although Sir Keir's win was big in terms of seats, he "didn't do that well in terms of vote share," Ms Rutter says."It's always described as a loveless landslide of people basically choosing whichever option allowed them to kick out the conservatives. So, it was quite a negative result in that sense," she says."And then the early days of his premiership were marked by some quite significant missteps, whether over sort of trivial ethics issues. Remember, this is someone who'd gone very big on Boris Johnson's ethics failings. Then over trying to remove the winter fuel allowance from older people didn't go just."Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 10:00pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 10:00pmLarry the cat watches another PM resignBy Syan Vallance in LondonSpare a thought for Larry the cat, who has outlasted a lot of British PMs in Downing Street now.Larry was spotted surveying the media pack in the midst of the chaos on Monday morning, just before the prime minister resigned.Larry, known as the British cabinet's Mouser in Chief, was born in 2007 and has lived at 10 Downing Street since 2011.Larry surveys the chaos outside Downing Street. (ABC News: Daniel Pannett)Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 9:45pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 9:45pmTributes coming in thick and fast for Starmer now he's announced his resignationBy Claire CampbellMany in Sir Keir's own Labour party had been calling for his resignation for days, weeks and even months.But now that it's happened, overwhelming support has been coming his way.Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was among a number of MPs calling for Sir Keir Starmer to set out a timetable for his resignation.Today she's credited Starmer for leading Labour "from the brink back to power"."He won a landslide victory, which few in our party's history have done before."That achievement will never be forgotten."Chancellor Rachel Reeves says Sir Keir and her had "achieved a lot together to be proud of"."I am grateful for Keir's leadership and the work he has done to build a stronger, more secure Britain," she wrote.While Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said the PM had "transformed the Labour Party, rooted out antisemitism, restored trust"."Change promised, change fought for and change delivered. That is Keir Starmer’s legacy," he wrote.Scotland's First Minister John Swinney said Sir Keir had "made the right decision" to resign."But what happens next must be about more than a change of prime minister," he said.Swinney, who is the leader of the Scottish National Party and has promised his country another referendum on becoming independent from the rest of the UK, said Scotland was "promised change" when Sir Keir became leader two years ago."Instead, we got broken promises, rising bills and more Westminster instability."Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 9:35pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 9:35pm'Here in Ukraine, we deeply value Britain'By Riley Stuart in LondonUkraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has posted on social media, thanking Sir Keir Starmer and that the people of his country "deeply value Britain".The UK has been among Ukraine's largest backers since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in early 2022.Mr Zelenskyy has been hosted at 10 Downing Street multiple times.Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 9:30pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 9:30pmWorld leaders react to Sir Keir's resignationBy Syan VallanceWorld leaders have started paying tribute to Sir Keir's prime ministership online.Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he considers Sir Keir a friend, and that he should be proud of his contributions to both his country and party.Meanwhile, European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted a photo of the two leaders together, and wrote that it "can take many leaders years to grow into the statesman you became in just two years".There was a less flattering take from US President Donald Trump last night, who posted about the resignation more than 12 hours before Sir Keir announced it.Trump said Sir Keir had "failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!)."He did go on to wish him well.Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 9:20pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 9:20pmThe Australian politician who played a key role in Keir Starmer's demiseBy Europe correspondent Elias Clure in LondonUp until last month, not many Britons would have heard of Catherine West.But the Australian-born politician, who has been a member of the UK parliament since 2015, certainly made a name for herself on the 9th of May when she called for Sir Keir Starmer to set out a timeline for his resignation.She also called on her Labour colleagues to challenge Sir Keir, warning that she would stand for the leadership if no one else would.Ms West later withdrew her threat, after it was reported that Andy Burnham's allies instructed her that the then-mayor of Greater Manchester didn't have enough time to put together a viable challenge.But the first salvo fired in a battle for the leadership is often the most critical and Ms West's comments, which came after Labour's disastrous performance at May's local elections, undermined the PM's calls for party unity.Labour MP Catherine West. (UK Parliament: Maria Unger via Reuters)When Ms West spoke to the ABC in early June, she explained why she was so eager to spur a leadership challenge."I felt coming out of the local elections, which is a bit like [the US] mid-terms for us we did particularly badly and we've got three years until the next general election," she said."So I've actually got time to pivot now into ... focusing on what has become a really big threat electorally to the Labour Party and I think to mainstream politics which is coming from Reform UK and another smaller parties."On Monday, Ms West struck a very different tone in a social media post where she praised Sir Keir.Ms West has lived in London for nearly 30 years. She was born in country Victoria.Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 9:05pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 9:05pmHow Sir Keir won in a landslide — and resigned two years laterBy Nelli SaarinenIn July 2024, Sir Keir Starmer was elated as he declared victory."Change begins now, and it feels good!"It was 3am, and Sir Keir was standing before hundreds of Labour Party campaigners and supporters.The Labour Party had just won government — ending 14 years of Conservative rule.Less than two years on, there is change again.The ABC's Europe bureau chief Mazoe Ford goes deeper on how Sir Keir, a former prosecutor, became the first Labour PM in 14 years to win in a landslide — and why it was still not enough to keep him in the job.Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 8:58pmMon 22 Jun 2026 at 8:58pm'Inevitable' Burnham would challenge Starmer, former minister saysBy Nelli SaarinenAlan Johnson. (ABC News)It was "inevitable" that Andy Burnham would challenge Keir Starmer — and win, former UK health secretary Alan Johnson told Sarah Ferguson on 7.30."[Starmer] was a guy who won, less than two years ago, the second–biggest Labour Party victory in our history — a huge majority of 173 [seats]. But in those two years, something has happened — Keir just cannot — he's not a populist, but he's certainly not popular," Johnson said.Johnson is a vocal supporter of Burnham's. He said Sir Keir would have lost the next general election, which is due to be held in 2029."So he's stepped down — typically of Keir — in a decent, dutiful manner, putting the country before his party," Johnson said.