Starmer is on the precipice as pressure builds for the UK leader to resign

By — Jill Lawless, Associated Press Jill Lawless, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/starmer-is-on-the-precipice-as-pressure-builds-for-the-uk-leader-to-resign Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Starmer is on the precipice as pressure builds for the UK leader to resign World Jun 21, 2026 11:10 AM EDT LONDON (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing a career-defining decision: step down or fight a possible challenge from Labour Party rival Andy Burnham. Starmer has publicly vowed to stay in office, but pressure is building as more and more Labour Party colleagues conclude that his time is up. Expectation is growing that he will announce a timetable for his resignation as soon as Monday. That's the day Burnham will be sworn in as a lawmaker in the House of Commons after winning a special election last week. WATCH: News Wrap: UK's Starmer says he will not 'walk away' amid threat to leadership Business Secretary Peter Kyle said Sunday that Starmer is "making time to reflect on the political realities, challenges and opportunities that he finds himself in." "I know he is a prime minister who always puts his country first," Kyle told the BBC, though he said that reports that Starmer will resign are "speculation." Starmer is spending the weekend at Chequers, the country mansion used by prime ministers, with his family. He gave no public hint about his decision, but sent a Father's Day message on social media. "Being a dad is my greatest joy. Today, I'm thinking about my dad, and the father I am to my children because of him," he wrote on X. U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in even before an announcement, linking Starmer's potential exit to two of his recurring bugbears: immigration and renewable energy. "Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom. He failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well! President DJT," Trump posted on his Truth Social network. READ MORE: Publication of additional Mandelson files brings more bad news for Keir Starmer If Starmer quits, he will be the sixth prime minister to leave office in the past 10 years, an extraordinary rate of churn for the United Kingdom. Discontent with the prime minister has been building for months, with Labour lawmakers desperate to reverse the government's decline in popularity since Starmer led the center-left party to a landslide election victory in July 2024. He has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and has been hamstrung by repeated missteps, including his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as the U.K. ambassador to the United States. Labour is losing liberal voters to the growing Green Party and facing a rising Reform UK, the Nigel Farage -led anti-immigration party that consistently