Good morning. Keir Starmer is now Britain’s sixth prime minister in a decade to ditch Downing Street – more on that below, along with Lionel Messi’s World Cup record and tomato sticker shock. But first:
Today’s headlines
- Police warn of copycats after an officer, civilian and a suspect died in a Montreal shooting
- Carney nominates Manitoba’s Glenn Joyal to the Supreme Court of Canada
- A Canadian Museum for Human Rights trustee has resigned, citing a “one-sided” Palestinian exhibit
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Keir Starmer outside Downing Street yesterday.Jaimi Joy/Reuters
Britain
The end of the road
It’s become a familiar sight in British politics: the squat wooden lectern, hauled out onto Downing Street; the hastily convened staffers, shuffled off to the side; the downcast Prime Minister, walking up to the microphone; and then a short, weary speech that confirms the inevitable departure.
Yesterday, after months of mounting pressure from his Labour Party, Keir Starmer announced that he would resign – making him Britain’s sixth prime minister to do so in just the past decade. Let’s count them: David Cameron lost the Brexit referendum exactly 10 years ago, then quit the following morning. Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss were all forced out by their own MPs. Rishi Sunak got walloped in the 2024 general election. Starmer turned that landslide win into historic unpopularity, lasting a little over 700 days in power before he reluctantly agreed to step aside.
As recently as Friday, Starmer had been insisting to reporters that he was “not going to walk away” from the job. But at least 200 Labour MPs – more than half of the caucus – said they’d throw their support behind Andy Burnham, the former Manchester mayor who scored a thumping victory in last week’s pivotal by-election. Even U.S. President Donald Trump recognized that Starmer couldn’t last much longer, so he fired up Truth Social to preempt any official word. “Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom,” Trump posted on Sunday. “He failed badly on two very important subjects – IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!).”
Starmer’s actual resignation came with zero all-caps. “The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,” he said yesterday, looking miserable. “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party loud and clear, and I accept that answer with good grace.” His voice broke with emotion as he thanked his wife, Victoria, and their two children. He promised to leave Downing Street by September, once Labour selects its new leader.
Andy Burnham after he was sworn in yesterday as Makerfield's newest MP.Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
In all likelihood, Starmer will be gone far sooner than that. Since his victory on Thursday, Burnham has been surrounded by a thick cloud of inevitability, and his only real rival for the position, former health secretary Wes Streeting, bowed out of the race yesterday. “The Makerfield by-election has proven that Labour can still win if we have the courage to change,” Streeting wrote in a statement. “I hope everyone else will back Andy, too.” If Burnham remains unchallenged, he could become the party’s next leader – and Britain’s latest prime minister – by the middle of July.
Of course, he’ll have to contend with the same headaches that plagued Starmer, particularly a sluggish economy and overstretched public finances. Those troubles have been ruthlessly exploited by Nigel Farage, whose populist Reform UK overtook Labour in the polls more than a year ago – and has only grown its margin since then.
But Burnham is already framing himself as a “Reform slayer.” After all, he defeated the party’s candidate last week by 20 percentage points, despite Reform making considerable inroads around the riding during the local contests in May. It still might not prevent a Prime Minister Farage come the next general election. It was more than enough to persuade Labour to gamble on a new leader yesterday.
The Shot
‘Beyond anything, I’m so happy for the win.’
Lionel Messi celebrates his second goal of the game.Julio Cortez/The Associated Press
Lionel Messi made World Cup history yesterday, breaking the all-time scoring record with his 17th and 18th goals in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria. (Yes, he scored them both – two days before he turns 39.) Read more about the match here.
The Wrap
What else we’re following
At home: A political showdown over noise bylaws during the Calgary Stampede has the city’s mayor and Alberta’s Premier accusing each other of being the “fun police.”
Abroad: The U.S. military conducted another strike on a boat in the Caribbean, immediately killing two people and leaving six survivors.
At work: A new report found that tens of thousands of young mothers have gained employment thanks to Canada’s $10-a-day child-care program.
En route: The federal government would like a stop in Kingston added to the proposed high-speed rail line between Quebec City and Toronto.
Fresh fruit: Canadians are paying substantially more for tomatoes, as poor growing conditions and U.S. tariffs raised the price by 45 per cent over the past year.
Sour grapes: Donald Trump’s feud on the weekend with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has cost the U.S. its best ally in Europe.