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LAST UPDATE | 22 Jun
UK PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer announced his resignation in a televised speech outside 10 Downing Street this morning.
Starmer is to stay on as PM until his successor as Labour leader is chosen, with that person looking likely to be Andy Burnham.
Former Mayor of Manchester Burnham has now been sworn is an MP after winning last week’s Makerfield byelection, clearing the path for him to take over the reins of Labour.
It is possible that new prime minister could be in place in a month’s time.
Here’s the lay of the land this morning after the latest twist in British politics.
Keir Starmer has taken to the lectern outside No 10 Downing Street to some applause from onlookers. He has begun the address by reminding us that he had inherited a nation that was bankrupt when he took office two years ago.
Starmer confirmed he will resign as Labour leader and he will remain as prime minister until a replacement is found.
He said that the past two years have seen the UK’s “reputation in the world restored” by “standing up for decency, respect and the rule of law”.
But he said he now knows the question being asked by his party 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.”
Becoming emotional, Starmer says that after leaving the “biggest job in the country” he will spend more time on “the most important job”.
“Being the best husband I can, to my fantastic wife Vic, who has been a rock by my side through good times and bad,” he adds.
“And being the best dad that I can to be beautiful children, who are my pride and joy.”
The outgoing PM hugs his wife before heading back inside No 10.
So there we have it. Starmer stepping down makes him the sixth prime ministerial resignation in the past decade.
We’re a few weeks away from the anniversary of the start of that unfortunate run, when David Cameron resigned on 13 July 2016 following the Brexit vote.
Speaking of Brexit, our friends in PA are reporting that 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 Keir Starmer retreated inside No 10.
Nigel Farage calls for general election
Reform leader Nigel Farage called for a general election following Starmer’s announcement.
“If Labour thinks it can shove another professional politician into No 10, it has another thing coming,” Farage says.
“Reform demands an election, and we are ready to deliver radical change.”
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has said that Andy Burnham “must be bold or he will be bust” if he replaces Starmer in Downing Street.
On social media, Polanski said Starmer lost the confidence of the country because of his “abject failure to challenge the power and wealth of an establishment which has taken for themselves while leaving the vast majority in a cost of living crisis”, adding that his support for Israel in Gaza had contributed to his departure.
The rise of the Greens under Polanski has arguably contributed to Starmer’s fall, but Polanski is turning his sights on Burnham now that Starmer is gone.
We are still waiting to see which version of Andy Burnham is going to show up in Downing Street. While he has talked about a change of course, the early indications are not encouraging and suggest more of the same with better communication skills. (3/5)
— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) June 22, 2026
So, a reminder of the timeline to replace Starmer as Labour leader.
He has asked the party’s governing body to set out a timetable to replace him, beginning on 9 July, and ending by the summer recess to ensure a new leader is in place before parliament returns in September.
At present is is unclear if Andy Burnham will face a challenge from anyone. Former health secretary Wes Streeting and ex-deputy prime minister Angela Rayner have been mentioned as potential challengers though.
Some of Starmer’s ministers are paying warm tribute to the outgoing leader after this morning’s announcement.
Housing secretary Steve Reed – who has been a regular face on British TV holding the line for Starmer over recent months – credited him for having “brought Labour back from the brink” and “changing Britain for the better”.
Keir Starmer brought Labour back from the brink, won a landslide majority against all the odds, and is changing Britain for the better.
— Steve Reed (@SteveReedMP) June 22, 2026
Thank you Keir, we are proud of you. pic.twitter.com/Fk58Nf3znh
Leaders on the right of British politics are not mincing their words about Starmer’s record.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has claimed that Starmer’s resignation is due to decisions ranging from a tax on farmers, to a lack of defence funding, to the appointment of the controversial Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.
“Britain is not ungovernable. Keir Starmer is a terrible Prime Minister. But the problem isn’t just Starmer,” Badenoch said.
Hiking national insurance
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) June 22, 2026
The Family Farm Tax
Giving up on real welfare reform
Not funding our defence
Not drilling our own oil and gas
Appointing Peter Mandelson…then lying about what had happened
Britain is not ungovernable. Keir Starmer is a terrible Prime Minister. But…
Rupert Lowe, whose Restore Britain party has arisen in recent months as a right-wing challenger to Nigel Farage’s Reform, called Starmer a “truly disgraceful” prime minister.
“History will not remember him kindly, nor should it.”
Von der Leyen: European security stronger because of Starmer
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has praised Keir Starmer for his efforts bolstering Ukraine against Russia during his two years in Downing Street.
“European and Ukrainian security is stronger because of you. Thank you, dear Keir,” von der Leyen said on X.
It can take many leaders years to grow into the statesman you became in just two years.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 22, 2026
European and Ukrainian security is stronger because of you.
Thank you, dear Keir. pic.twitter.com/XkX53ZEG4b
In case you missed it, here’s the clip of Starmer announcing his planned departure:
Here’s a flavour of some of the moments from Starmer’s resignation speech earlier:
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill says she is “ready to work constructively” with the next prime minister, whoever that is.
But she has also reiterated Sinn Féin’s view that the north is “better served by breaking our links with Britain”.
“Successive British governments have cut our public services and weakened our economy, leaving ordinary people struggling to make ends meet while a small elite grows ever wealthier,” she said in a statement on X.
“I stand ready to work constructively with the incoming British Prime Minister, but I will be clear that a hugely different approach is needed.
“People here are not second-class citizens.
“They deserve proper and fair investment in our public services, real support through the cost of living crisis, and respect for our democratic right decide our own future.”
Andy Burnham, the prospective future prime minister who won last week’s byelection in Makerfield, has said Starmer’s resignation “marks the beginning of a transition”.
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, he also confirmed that he will “put myself forward as part of this process”.
Keir has given huge service to our country and I want to thank him for his leadership and dedication during such a challenging period.
— Andy Burnham (@AndyBurnhamGM) June 22, 2026
His decision marks the beginning of a transition and it is important that this process is conducted in an orderly and responsible way. I will…
The statements are coming thick and fast now.
Labour MP Wes Streeting, who some considered may have been a rival to Burnham, has given his backing to the former mayor of Manchester and said he won’t fight in any leadership contest.
In a letter posted on X, Streeting took aim at Nigel Farage’s soaring Reform party and said that Burnham “can win the fight of our lives against the forces of nationalism”.
— Wes Streeting (@wesstreeting) June 22, 2026
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has also issued a statement in the last hour.
She said that Starmer’s resignation presents an opportunity “to advance relationships between Britain and Ireland in a positive direction”.
Citing the recent electoral successes of Plaid Cymru in Wales and the Scottish National Party, McDonald said that pro-independence parties (like her own) are playing “a significant role” and presenting “a direct challenge” to the United Kingdom.
“Politics is changing rapidly in Britain and Ireland. Whoever becomes the next British Prime Minister must recognise these new political realities,” McDonald said.
She added that Sinn Féin will work constructively with Starmer’s successor but that the party will continue to press for an end to the partition of Ireland.
Andy Burnham has been pictured (a little unflatteringly) leaving his office in Manchester to take up his seat in the House of Commons. He’ll presumably be engaging in some other business as well…
The Press Association has brought us some colour on Andy Burnham’s journey to London.
The news agency says the new Makerfield MP caught a train while wearing a T-shirt and jeans, and that he was accompanied by two police officers.
It’s also reported that Burnham simply replied “thank you everyone” when he was asked whether there’ll be a Labour leadership contest or a coronation.
Starmer’s former deputy Angela Rayner has said that history will remember “not just the challenges” the outgoing prime minister faced, “but the achievements he oversaw”.
She said she knows how difficult it is to hold and leave office – she left the government over a scandal about her tax affairs, though the issue was later resolved without penalty – and said that Starmer “spoke with dignity and duty” in his departure speech.
I know just how hard it is to both hold and leave office, not just on those who held it but all those close to them too, as Keir rightly acknowledged today. He spoke with dignity and duty, and my thoughts are with him and his family.
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) June 22, 2026
I was proud to serve as Deputy as he led our…
Who has said that Keir Starmer left behind “a record of unfulfilled promises” in terms of Northern Ireland?
It’s not Michelle O’Neill, it’s DUP leader Gavin Robinson.
Robinson hasn’t held back in his criticisms of the outgoing prime minister and how he felt the Labour leader dealt with the ongoing fallout over Brexit.
He said that Starmer “failed to deal with the root cause” of problems caused by the NI Protocol and Windsor Framework, including restoring Northern Ireland’s “full place within the United Kingdom” and “ending the application of EU laws over part of our country”.
On a personal level, Robinson wished Starmer well, saying he found the Labour leader “courteous and professional”.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has weighed in on Wes Streeting’s statement backing Andy Burnham as future Labour leader.
In case you missed it, Streeting had was previously expected to challenge for the Labour leadership, but this morning announced he wouldn’t be doing so.
Badenoch has now responded to his statement on social media, asking: “If you’re not running, what are we waiting for?”
The Taoiseach has wished Starmer well in a statement that’s just landed, in which he acknowledged the “significant role” the prime minister played in “resetting the Irish-British relationship” and relations between the UK and the EU.
Micheál Martin said that during Starmer’s time in office, both governments helped to deal with the legacy of Northern Ireland by publishing a joint framework on addressing the legacy of the Troubles.
“Keir is a person of great ability, decency and honour and I want to wish him, his wife Victoria and their family, very well in their next chapter,” the Taoiseach said.
Martin added that he believed Starmer’s successor would continue to “deepen and strengthen” the relationship between the UK and Ireland.
Video footage has emerged of Andy Burnham sheepishly avoiding the question on everyone’s minds today:
🚨 WATCH: Andy Burnham has just left Manchester and is set to arrive in London at 1:09pm pic.twitter.com/ngUA1huyAa
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 22, 2026
Tánaiste Simon Harris has echoed Micheál Martin’s sentiments about Starmer, saying that the outgoing prime minister “leaves the relationship between our two islands stronger than he found it”.
“Thank you Keir, because of your leadership British and Irish relations can only go from strength to strength,” Harris said in a statement.
@Keir_Starmer leaves the relationship between our two islands stronger than he found it.
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 22, 2026
Together we agreed to reset that relationship. To build it on peace, prosperity, mutual respect and friendship. To honour our shared duty as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement. pic.twitter.com/Wi1t66F6Zl
Polling company YouGov has done some research on how British people think Andy Burnham would perform as prime minister compared to Keir Starmer.
Around three in ten people (29%) think Burnham would do a better job, with fewer than two in ten people (18%) believing he’d do worse.
It’s also interesting to see that almost two in ten people (19%) would be more likely to vote Labour with Burnham in charge.
29% of Britons think Andy Burnham would do a better job as PM than Keir Starmer, relative to 18% who feel he would do a worse job
— YouGov (@YouGov) June 22, 2026
Better job: 29%
No difference: 24%
Worse job: 18%https://t.co/Xph54CQ6Sxhttps://t.co/evHd8LPQYG pic.twitter.com/0Q9U97RBpv
Anti-Brexit activist Steve Bray has said it was he who played Ode to Joy outside the gates of Downing Street during Keir Starmer’s resignation speech as a “goodbye”.
Starmer previously told Classic FM in a 2023 interview the choral symphony by Beethoven “sums up” the Labour Party.
“That was my way of saying goodbye to him,” Bray told the Press Association.
“It was a mark of respect.”
Big test for AI noise cancellation software and whether they should be used: will the fact Starmer’s resignation speech was delivered to (drowned out by?) the unwanted soundtrack of “Ode to Joy” mean AI tools will be used to remove it? pic.twitter.com/arEScbZ7Xt
— Marc Blank-Settle marcsettle.bsky.social (@MarcSettle) June 22, 2026
Here he comes. Sky News is currently following Andy Burnham’s train with its helicopter as he makes his way to London.
Our political editor Christina Finn brings us some insight on what an Andy Burnham-led government might mean for Ireland.
Burnham is no stranger to Ireland’s government – many of those in government already have his mobile number.
Those in Irish government circles have described the possible changeover from Starmer to Burnham as “business as usual”.
None The Journal spoke to are expecting any surprises from the former Manchester mayor – you can read the Irish point of view here.
We know exactly where Andy Burnham is, thanks to Sky News’s helicopter tracking his car through London’s traffic jams.
Burnham is on his way to the House of Commons to be sworn in as an MP for Makerfield after his byelection win.
Having met reporters in Euston station, Burnham brushed off questions regarding his contesting of the Labour leadership and whether there should be a general election if he takes the office of prime minister.
He told the BBC that the news station was “jumping several hurdles” when asked about the prospect of a general election.
Andy Burnham has entered Westminster – reportedly heralded in by some bad language by the onlooking public.
He, Douglas Lumsden of the Conservative Party, and Lara Bird of the Scottish National Party (SNP), all elected in the recent byelections, will be sworn in as MPs.
Burnham’s aspirations to lead the Labour Party have dramatically overshadowed the three’s swearings in.
It’s the first time in almost a decade that Burnham will serve as an MP, having previously spent 2001 to 2017 representing the constituency of Leigh in Greater Manchester.
Andy Burnham and two Scottish MPs elected in the byelections have now been sworn in.
Burnham was the final of the three to be sworn in, and received large cheers from MPs as he was called upon to take the oath of allegiance to the crown.
Now an MP, he’s in place to contest the leadership of Labour.
Here’s the moment Burnham was sworn in to the House of Commons, flanked on arrival by Knowsley MP Anneliese Midgley and Leigh and Atherton’s Jo Platt.
BREAKING: Andy Burnham sworn in as Labour MPhttps://t.co/yTF4IJHwIr
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 22, 2026
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233, and YouTube pic.twitter.com/bS70nwJKSM
"He's not the messiah!"
— LBC (@LBC) June 22, 2026
Andy Burnham is heckled as he's sworn in as an MP. pic.twitter.com/oUjJRrQzo4
Signing the book after he’s sworn in as an MP, a fellow member heckles Burnham with a Life of Brian-inspired: “He’s not the messiah!”
In fairness to Burnham, it took a couple of seconds to respond to the heckler by calling them a “naughty boy”.
(Some context for the non Monty Python fans)
Before we wrap up the liveblog, our Assistant News Editor Rónán Duffy has published some analysis on just how it’s come to be that Starmer is the sixth departure from 10 Downing Street since Brexit, ten years ago this week.
The short answer is that Starmer is unpopular to a degree that is unmatched in recent British history and his party is refusing to shoulder that burden any longer.
By various measures, Starmer is standing down as the country’s most unpopular prime minister in decades.
In YouGov polling from last month, just 23% of Britons view Starmer favourably, while 69% view him unfavourably, giving him a net favourability rating of -46.
Asked if he has been a good prime minister or a bad one, just 11% of people gave Starmer a measure of positivity. These numbers are toxic and have proven to be somewhat irreversible.
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