London: UK prime minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation in a televised statement on Monday, amid pressure from his own Labour Party. He is the sixth PM of the country to resign in the last 10 years.
Starmer said he is stepping down as leader of the Labour Party and has informed the king of his decision.
He has asked Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to begin the process for choosing his successor, with nominations due to open on July 9, Starmer said.
Starmer had come to power in 2024 after a landslide victory. His popularity started to wane recently, with rival Andy Burnham, winning the decisive by-election to claim a parliamentary seat in North West England.
Starmer, in his statement, announced a timeline f
or his stepping down, following which Burnham is likely to take over.
However, Burnham’s elevation to the post will not be automatic, of there are other contenders. He, along with contenders to the post, if any, will first have to secure the backing of 81 Labour MPs, 20 percent of the party’s parliamentary strength. They will then need to receive nominations from either 5 percent of constituency Labour parties, or three affiliated organisations (which must include two trade unions) which represent 5 percent of affiliated membership. Only after passing those two stages can they go before the party membership, as reported by Al Jazeera.
After securing the backing of the 81 MPs in the Commons and support from constituency parties and trade unions, the candidates will be put to a vote among party members.
A contender is declared the winner only if s/he receives more than 50 percent of first preferences, and this usually happens through a process of elimination during rounds of voting, the timetable for which is set by Labour’s ruling NEC.
The NEC will set the timetable for the whole election, including how long potential candidates have to secure nominations and how long members will be able to vote.
The party’s last leadership contest, in 2020, ran for about three months, with nominations opening in early January and the result announced in early April.