British PM Keir Starmer says he will resign by September

Keir Starmer has succumbed to weeks of mounting pressure from Labour MPs and announced that he will step down as party leader and British Prime Minister as soon as a new leader is chosen.

“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,” Mr. Starmer said Monday, choking back tears. “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party loud and clear, and I accept that answer with good grace.”

His resignation gives former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham the inside track at becoming the country’s seventh prime minister in 10 years.

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There had been speculation that Mr. Starmer’s departure would trigger a leadership contest that could last all summer and involve several MPs. But so far, Mr. Burnham is the only likely candidate and the overwhelming favourite, meaning a contest may not be required.

He solidified his front-runner status last Thursday with an impressive by-election victory in a Manchester-area constituency, defeating the Reform UK candidate by 20 percentage points. The scale of his win has convinced many Labour MPs that Mr. Burnham can effectively challenge Reform, which has been leading national opinion polls.

The next general election must be held before August, 2029.

Former health secretary Wes Streeting, who was considered a potential rival, threw his support behind Mr. Burnham. “Andy has shown what Labour can be when we are inclusive, united and in touch with the lives of the people this party was founded to represent,” Mr. Streeting said Monday.

Mr. Burnham, 56, is seen by many as a better communicator than Mr. Starmer, 63, and a more experienced politician.

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He served in Parliament between 2001 and 2017 and held several cabinet posts. He has also run for the party leadership twice before, finishing fourth in 2010 and second to Jeremy Corbyn in 2015. He has been mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017.

Former Labour adviser Karl Pike said Mr. Burnham will be “more political” than Mr. Starmer, who spent years in the public service before being elected an MP in 2015. Mr. Burnham “is very careful about what he says and is very clear in the kind of political motivations behind it,” Dr. Pike said.

Mr. Burnham has yet to announce many policy initiatives but has been a keen proponent of greater public ownership of services such as water and transportation, which were privatized decades ago. He won plaudits in Manchester for improving the city’s transit system by bringing it under municipal control.

He is also likely to continue Mr. Starmer’s push to improve Britain’s ties with the European Union. Mr. Starmer has signed a number of agreements with Brussels to help ease trade restrictions, but has insisted that Britain won’t return to the single market or the free movement of people.

Mr. Burnham has said that he hopes to see Britain part of the EU once again during his lifetime, and polls show a majority of Britons want closer ties. But during the recent by-election campaign, he made it clear he was not proposing rejoining the EU.

Dr. Pike said Mr. Burnham will likely go further than Mr. Starmer on the EU. “If the question is ‘Should Britain go back into the single market, even if it’s in all but name, before the next general election?,’ I think he would be open to that kind of risk,” he said.

Mr. Burnham will also have to gauge his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, something Mr. Starmer could not manage.

Mr. Starmer used almost excessive flattery to win over Mr. Trump at times. However, the two leaders fell out over Britain’s refusal to participate in the war in Iran, and Mr. Trump has taken to mocking Mr. Starmer.

Mr. Burnham’s more easygoing nature should be an asset in dealing with Mr. Trump, said Richard Johnson, a senior lecturer in politics at Queen Mary University of London. “He is someone who is more relaxed around people than Keir Starmer, who I think always had a little bit of a fairly stiff, somewhat uncomfortable demeanour.”

However, Dr. Johnson added, Mr. Burnham “likes to be popular and he likes to be liked.”

“That can be a positive and a negative. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to sort of ingratiate himself with Trump to a similar extent as Starmer,” he said.

Mr. Starmer leaves behind a mixed legacy.

He can take credit for leading Labour to a landslide victory in the 2024 election, taking 411 of 650 seats. But that win had more to do with the collapse of the Conservatives than a ringing endorsement of Mr. Starmer.

His government also struggled with policy reversals, conflicting messages and a lack of bold initiatives. “There’s always just been a question mark of what’s your driving ambition?” Dr. Pike said of Mr. Starmer. “Because he’s never had one, the moment he became politically unsuccessful and started losing elections, he was always in danger.”