Starmer Resigns, Burnham Favored
British Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer Resigns Amid Party Pressure for Andy Burnham
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned on Monday, June 22, 2026, bowing to weeks of intense pressure from within his own Labour Party. Standing outside 10 Downing Street, an emotional Starmer said he had "heard the answer" from his party — and accepted it "with good grace," according to Reuters.
Starmer's departure makes him the 7th Prime Minister in 10 years, underlining a decade of extraordinary political chaos in Britain. Andy Burnham, the former Mayor of Greater Manchester and now MP for Makerfield, is the clear favourite to replace him, according to El País.
Burnham's By-Election Win Broke the Dam
The final blow came on June 18, when Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election with 55% of the vote — a 9.61-point swing toward Labour. That win gave Burnham a seat in Parliament, a legal requirement to become Prime Minister. Burnham told supporters that night: "Tonight could, just could, be the turning point."
Just one day later, Starmer vowed to "fight" any leadership challenge. But by the weekend, he had retreated to Chequers. Reuters reported that Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and other senior Cabinet members privately urged him to set an exit date. By Sunday evening, US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that "Keir Starmer will resign" — hours before the official announcement.
Two Years of Broken Promises and Political Wounds
Starmer came to power in July 2024 with a historic landslide. But by May 2026, an Ipsos poll found that 59% of the British public — and 54% of people who voted Labour in 2024 — wanted him gone before the next election. Labour suffered crushing losses in local elections that same month.
Several crises piled up fast. Defence Secretary John Healey resigned on June 12, citing Starmer's failure to fund the National Defence Investment Plan, Reuters reported. The appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK Ambassador to the US also backfired badly, after revelations about his ties to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. On top of that, Starmer appeared isolated at the G7 Summit in Evian on June 16, struggling to find allies on key issues.
Burnham Surges, But Markets and Rivals Sound Alarms
Andy Burnham leads Starmer by 12 points in head-to-head polling on who would make a better Prime Minister, according to Ipsos data. He is the only Labour figure who outperforms Starmer with the public. His "King of the North" image and appeal to working-class voters in northern England is seen as Labour's best weapon against Nigel Farage's Reform UK.
But Burnham faces real risks. Financial markets are nervous: he previously dismissed "the bond markets" in September 2025, a comment that drew comparisons to Liz Truss's disastrous 2022 mini-budget, Reuters noted. Farage also hit back hard, saying it was "ridiculous" to claim Burnham had any national mandate based on "less than 25,000 votes" in a single by-election.
A New PM by July 17 — If the Maths Work Out
Labour's leadership contest could be over fast. A candidate needs 81 nominations from Labour MPs to enter the race. If no one else reaches that threshold, Burnham could be "coronated" — becoming Prime Minister without a full party membership vote. Nominations are projected to open on July 9, with a new PM expected by July 17, according to Yahoo News.
The new Prime Minister will have almost no time to settle in. A NATO Summit falls on July 7. An EU Reset Summit is scheduled for July 22. Britain's Defence Investment Plan must be finalised at both. Meanwhile, Reform UK and the Conservatives are already calling for a General Election, arguing the country cannot keep changing Prime Ministers without asking voters.
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