Why did Starmer resign and what could happen next?

Image source, Reuters By Paul Seddon Political reporter Published 22 June 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as Labour leader, heralding the end of his time in 10 Downing Street. He has said he will stay on as UK prime minister until his successor is in place. Why did Starmer resign? Pressure on the Labour leader had been building for a while, amid dire poll ratings and a series of damaging revelations over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as his US ambassador last year. Elections to the Welsh and Scottish parliaments, as well as local councils in parts of England, in May had long been billed by gloomy Labour MPs as a last chance for him to prove he could turn things around. In the end, the results were devastating, prompting Wes Streeting to resign as health secretary , as well as a clutch of more junior ministers. An ally of Andy Burnham quit as MP for Makerfield, clearing a path for the then Greater Manchester mayor to fulfil his ambition of returning to Westminster to challenge for the Labour crown. Sir Keir had previously been able to block Burnham from standing in a by-election in February. But with scores of MPs demanding his resignation in the wake of the election results, he did not have the authority to repeat the move. His standing ebbed further when a long-simmering row behind the scenes over defence spending prompted Labour stalwart John Healey to resign as defence secretary earlier this month. Burnham's decisive victory in Makerfield last week, where he increased Labour's majority over Reform UK, further strengthened his appeal to many MPs. Sir Keir initially insisted he would contest a challenge to his leadership, despite several of his cabinet ministers privately urging him to quit. But after mulling it over this weekend, he ultimately concluded he did not have enough support among Labour MPs to make a make such a move viable. Keir Starmer resigns, as Andy Burnham confirms he will run to replace him as Labour leader and PM Sir Keir Starmer: Top lawyer whose 'Mr Rules' approach failed to connect with the public Published 22 hours ago Who is Andy Burnham? Ex-Manchester mayor who wants to lead the country Published 19 hours ago When might a new leader be selected? An official party timetable is yet to be announced, but in his resignation speech Sir Keir said contenders to replace him would have between 9 and 16 July to garner the necessary support to stand. The party's rulebook says candidates need to be nominated by 81 Labour MPs, as well as either 32 of Labour's 634 local branches, or three organisations affiliated to the party (including two trade unions). If more than one MP clears this threshold, there would then be a vote among party members and affiliated trade union supporters to pick a winner before Parliament returns from its summer recess on 1 September. But there are already signs that this may not be required. Burnham has confirmed he will be putting himself forward and is widely regarded as havin