LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is widely expected to lay out a departure timeline as soon as Monday, yielding to growing demands from within his own Labour Party to step aside and pass the torch of leadership.
Should he follow through, Starmer would join a long line of predecessors, becoming the sixth prime minister in the past decade to make an early exit announcement from outside 10 Downing Street.
Starmer spent the weekend weighing his political future after Labour rival Andy Burnham claimed victory in a special parliamentary election. Burnham, who stepped down last week as the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, entered the race with the explicit goal of challenging Starmer for both the party leadership and the country’s top job.
Burnham is scheduled to be formally sworn in as a member of Parliament on Monday.
Starmer’s office offered no comment on reports of a potential resignation. However, 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.”
Whether Burnham would face a clear path to leadership or a competitive contest remains to be seen. Wes Streeting, who stepped down as health secretary last month in protest of Starmer’s leadership style, has publicly stated he intends to run if a leadership contest takes place.
Frustration with Starmer has been growing among Labour lawmakers for months. Party members have been eager to reverse the government’s falling popularity since Starmer led Labour to a sweeping election victory in July 2024.
His tenure has been marked by struggles to deliver on promises of economic growth, restore deteriorating public services, and ease financial pressures on ordinary citizens. His leadership has also been dogged by a series of missteps, including his decision to name Peter Mandelson — a figure with ties to Jeffrey Epstein and a history of controversy — as the UK’s ambassador to the United States.
Labour is hemorrhaging liberal voters to the expanding Green Party while simultaneously facing a surge from Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Nigel Farage that has consistently topped national opinion polls.
U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in even before any official announcement, tying Starmer’s potential exit to two of his frequent talking points: immigration and energy policy.
“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 wrote on his social media platform.
It was not clear whether Trump’s post was a reaction to media speculation about Starmer’s plans. The two leaders did not speak over the weekend, and their once-cordial relationship has reportedly cooled in recent months over disagreements including the Iran conflict, which the United Kingdom chose not to join.
On the world stage, Starmer has earned recognition for his diplomatic efforts, particularly in uniting European nations in support of Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing invasion and working to manage the fallout from the Iran conflict.
Not all Labour voices have joined the chorus calling for Starmer’s exit. London legislator Neil Coyle pushed back sharply on the situation, writing on X: “the prospect of an utter stitch-up & the media circus being rewarded.” He added, “When the next leader cannot change Trump, Iran, Ukraine, Putin, Musk, broadcast editorial & algorithm bias overnight they’ll bay for his blood too. Better keep that guillotine sharp.”
