Sir Keir Starmer choked up this morning as he resigned as Labour leader and listed his ‘achievements’, setting the stage for a leadership contest and a new Prime Minister to be in place by September. The Mail has more.
Keir Starmer choked up today as he announced he is quitting, with Andy Burnham closing in on taking control of Downing Street.
The PM talked up his achievements in getting Labour elected – as well as making a series of dubious claims about successes in Government – in a statement outside the famous black door of No. 10.
But he acknowledged that his time had run out. “I know the question being asked now is not who is best placed to change the Labour Party… the question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next General Election.”
He added: “I accept that answer with good grace… that is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party.”
Sir Keir said there would be an “orderly” process to choose his replacement. He said a successor would be in place before the Commons summer recess on July 16th if there is only one candidate – Burnham. Otherwise the decision could take until August.
However, Sir Keir became emotional as he paid tribute to the support from his family – saying he would now focus on being the “best husband” and the “best dad”.
Wife Victoria and the couple’s son had joined close colleagues outside in the street to watch the news be delivered. Anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray, a perennial presence in Westminster, could be heard playing EU anthem ‘Ode To Joy’ through speakers nearby.
Burnham – who has rallied huge support from Labour MPs since romping home in the Makerfield by-election last week – is due to be sworn in at the Commons at 2.30pm.
But Nigel Farage immediate joined calls – including from some Labour MPs – for a General Election to accompany the change at the top.
The PM returned to Downing Street from Chequers early this morning, after spending the weekend locked in talks with wife Victoria and close aides. He spoke to the King, who is at his Highgrove residence, by phone before making the announcement.
In other twists and turns today:
- A Minister has warned that Burnham must call a snap general election if he takes over from Sir Keir;
- Markets are giving their verdict on a turbulent weekend, with fears a new PM could tear up fiscal rules and lurch Left;
- Britain is on track for its seventh PM in a decade since the Brexit referendum;
- Sir Keir is set to be the shortest-serving Labour PM since universal suffrage.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: Traders are turning away from UK bonds after Sir Keir Starmer said he would step down as Prime Minister. The Telegraph has more.
Asset managers and investment banks said they would steer clear of much of Britain’s debt market as a result of the Labour leadership turmoil.
Traders warned borrowing costs could rise further because longer-dated UK bonds, known as gilts, are more sensitive to changes in government spending plans.
It is feared that Andy Burnham will move into Number 10 and loosen the public purse strings to fund a shift to the Left.
The yield on 10-year gilts, a benchmark for what the Treasury pays to borrow money, rose from 4.84% to 4.85% as Sir Keir said he would step aside. The yield on 30-year gilts also rose from 5.54% to 5.55%.
Stop Press 2: Burnham is on track for a coronation after Wes Streeting abandoned his leadership bid, reportedly in exchange for a top job in Burnham’s administration.
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What an embarrassment for your country. 7 prime ministers in ten years. Pathetic
The bit in his speech about putting his country first did me chuckle… (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qI0xQSn8Y0)
Did he mention Breakfast Clubs?
Oh, and branding the despised working class as all Faaaah Rite bigots for daring to protest about their children being raped, tortured and murdered by immigrants / asylum seekers?
How long will Prince Andrew of 80s Football Shirts reign before it all turns to shit like it did for Two Tier Kier. It was barely a month before he was struggling, which was even quicker than most people expected.
So after less than two years in the role he gets a massive Prime Ministers pension o. Top of his MP’s one as well as the special arrangement as DPP.
He will get £100,000 a year tax free to cover the “additional expenses” (sic) of being a former PM. Also life long security advice and protection.
He will go to HoL before Farage becomes PM because he won’t afterwards.
I must confess that I am disappointed. I was hoping that he would stand at the lectern and say, “You want rid of me? Then sod the lot of you, I am calling a general election.”
This AI is getting better, isn’t it? Almost like a real emotion there.
So what happened to Streeting’s idea of a leadership contest, where principles could be voiced and debated? No, as it’s always been, it’s what’s in it for him, first and foremost.
Just a thought – is there any way we can resign?
The rudderless ship looses it’s anker…..
They like blubbing under pressure, or when found out, these modern politicians.
Anyway, imagine being so crap at your job that your supporters demand you resign, frit by the ghost of Andy Burnham, and you dutifully agree, and give a pantomime performance outside No.10 giving a list of things you’ve been crap at, as if they were major achievements.
“… in getting Labour elected…” (Grin) That was all the work of the Tories.
“… he would now focus on being the “best husband” and the “best dad”.
Honi soit qui mal y pense. I honestly think I’m going to be sick.
Wes Streeting – Mr No-chance – won’t run, but what about John Healy?
IMF: the reason Governments go to the IMF is because lenders want exorbitant interest making loans unaffordable, or stop lending altogether.
Every party demands a general election when a new prime minister takes over but refuses it when they are in power. My fear of a general election is that we will see Makerfield, Denton and Caerphilly repeated across the country. Every one of the uniparty fears Farage and Reform more than each other, so we will see everyone back off in the areas they are least likely to win, as happened in these three seats so only one effectively stands against Reform. This could well see a national vote share of 35-40% for Reform but only twenty or thirty seats, while the others get a national vote share of twenty five percent or less but five or ten times as many seats as Reform. The anger that would follow this would be unprecedented.
I think this is quite plausible. For various sad reasons there is a majority in this country for big government tax and spend socialism.
As always, people need to be made to suffer much greater hardship before their braincells can comprehend that a state where the benefits paid out to the slothful exceed the government’s income will not end well.
100%
Sadly I will be gone before the penny drops and much damage will have been done
Read that again. And again. Then start making serious preparations for what is to come. With public unrest growing, my belief is that the machine has determined that it needs to go up a gear. We are at the precipice.
The incompetent ignorant retards elected as Labour MPs seriously think the government has not gone Far Left enough and that more socialism will cure the soaring unemployment – especially for young people – queue of business owners leaving the country and taking their wealth with them, businesses forced into closure, hospitality sector on its knees etc.
I am semi retired, took a trip down to London today. So many working age young men out and about not working.
Such a shame he sold the [definitely not an inheritance tax dodge oh no] “donkey sanctuary”.
He would have been happy spending his [gilt-edged thanks to an act of Parliament written specifically for him] retirement amongst his equals
Nigel Farage’s perspective on this news;
”The Prime Minister is finished. I have to give Starmer some credit: even I couldn’t have predicted how quickly he would reveal himself as the most incompetent Prime Minister this country has ever had the misfortune of having.
Starmer isn’t the first Prime Minister I’ve deposed, and he won’t be the last.
That is why I am calling for a General Election at the soonest possible date. You know as well as I do that the country cannot afford to waste another week drifting from crisis to crisis. That’s why millions of you turned out in the local elections to vote for Reform councillors, and it’s why we have led in more than 300 opinion polls for well over a year.
The British public have made their voices clear in May this year and last: Britain is broken and they want a radical reforming government that will fundamentally fix our country. But instead, Westminster wants to crown Andy Burnham off the back of a single by-election.
I’ve been frank that I was disappointed by the result in Makerfield. But I must also remind people of something important. On the ballot paper in that… Read more »
I have sympathy for what Nigel is saying, but would a General Election be advantageous to parties on the Right of British politics at this point in time? With the Right divided and Burnham pushing the message that he’s not Keir Starmer, Labour could end up winning again, possibly in coalition with the Greens. It might be better to wait a bit, giving Burnham the opportunity to cause more damage to the economy, and for the Right to settle their differences. It would be painful, but better than the prospect of another five years of loony left policies.
Exactly what I was thinking. You would assume, then, that such an obvious train of thought would’ve occurred to Farage too, as to be too hasty could be to his detriment. As for the Right settling anything, I’m not overly optimistic. Here’s Pete North’s thoughts. A man not exactly renowned for his overriding positive outlook;
”In an interview, Rupert Lowe has stated quite plainly that he detests ethnonationalism, equating it with neo-Nazism. That doesn’t mean he will actually do anything about the ethno-nats in his ranks because he says he doesn’t see why he should audit his own membership. If he did, he’d have to take a close look at Charlie Downes.
But then, having said that, they might just solve that particular problem for him. The clip has gone viral and the usual suspects of the ethno-right are not happy at all. Seething, in fact. This could be the moment Lowe’s most vocal supporters take their bat home and start yet another new party.
That then puts Restore in the position of being criticised by Reform for being too racist, while facing relentless criticism from the right for not being racist enough. There’s just no pleasing some people.
The… Read more »
The centre right is hopelessly divided by egotism in Farage and Rupert Lowe, too busy fighting like rats in a sack to really give a damn about the country. Badenock is possibly the only person that can lead Britain back out of socialist wokism, but for some reason people I speak to don’t seem to know who she is.
That centre-right vote split now condemns the country to disaster as in another election we may well get at least another 6 years of minority socialist destruction and spend, spend, spend. A once great people to be reduced to the level of Venezuela.
Poor Rupert Lowe just cannot disconnect from the many racist ethnats that have jumped aboard his Restore Britain bandwagon. Online, his party is a magnet for groyperism. Despite all that, I like everything he’s had to say, and clearly he is neither racist nor antisemite. Shame he hasn’t got a snowball in hell’s chance of winning ( 30secs );
”Uncle Rupert Lowe says he detests the Far Right and ethnonationalism, whilst talking to Brett Weinstein. At the same time, people like Steve Laws are trying to push Deep State Charlie for Deputy. Restore Britain has an identity crisis and may need the membership managing slightly.”
https://x.com/DANNYUNFILTERED/status/2068777193837416945
Full interview with Brett here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeV5kRLyGgc
I know exactly who Badenoch is. A minister during “covid”, member of a party that brought you the “boriswave” and that voted for Net Zero. Someone not to be trusted. The left is also divided hopelessly between Labour, Lib Dems, Greens, SNP, Plaid Cymru, Sinn Fein, Tory wets and independents.
Lowe is offering something that some voters want. It’s called democracy.
Don’t be ridiculous.
RUPERT LOWE’S RESTORE BRITAIN is the only way to save the country.
I largely agree with you. It currently looks as though the Conservatives, Reform and Restore would struggle to settle their differences sufficiently to work together, whereas I can see Labour happily leaping on a partnership with the Greens to keep the red flag flying.
Why would either Reform or Restore work with the Uniparty Tories who are choc full of Blairite socialists? The party needs completely destroying once and for all and take the Nigerian with it.
Well said
I actually think Kemi might be vaguely OK but they cannot be trusted
Why do we have a Nigerian princess leading one of our political parties?
Interesting question. For some reason the Tories seem keener on leaders who are not white men – perhaps to soften their image as The Nasty Party. The competition was arguably not that fierce and let’s face it the previous choices since Thatcher have not exactly been great. I think she is actually quite a convincing speaker, I just don’t trust her.
Very sensible. She is not to be trusted just like all establishment politicians. They work not for those who elected them but for those faceless powerful individuals and organisations that no one can elect nor dismiss.
Fantastic, a joint Burnham Streeting ticket, presumably to give the chancellor role to Streeting. Well at least he worked for PwC, so has an accountancy background. Oh wait a minute. He was a public sector consultant for them after he finished his term as president of the NSU in late 2009, but gave the job up when he was elected to Redbridge council in 2010! Did he even get a desk and id badge allocated to him in those few days of working in the private sector? Probably not. The rest of his life has been shite charity sector and council work, so bugger all experience for the greatest financial office of state. The drain is unblocked and we are steadily spiralling around it.
At least we might finally be shot of millipede.
I think Starmer could actually succeed at being “the best” at something. His wife has only one husband, and his children have only one dad.
Allegedly.
Starmer resigns!
Hooray!
He’ll stay on until his successor is ready.
Boo!
As his successor is guaranteed to be no better I’m not sure why this news would be cause for celebration. Only a general election, where the collective architects of the UK’s slo-mo demise get overthrown and booted out, can put a stop to this sorry shitshow.
Change spelling: *anker becomes plonker.
I hope it’s the end of the road for this disgusting creature.
He won’t starve though. I’m sure his owners will have some sinecures waiting for him. Plus his pension pot with its unique protection from the tax man.
How he’ll miss all that luxury travel at our expense… No doubt there’ll be a globalist appointment waiting for him, though. Much change is needed and it will take effort- if it’s not too late.
Happy dance… 🙂
Not happy here. Burnham will be even more of a disaster.
Seven PMs in 10 years! Are we turning into Italy as was?
Without the food and the style.
Seven Prime Ministers in 10 years is a *sure* sign of an unstable country.
Actually, it’s 6 PMs and 1 Lettuce.
Lettuce pray.
The succession of prime ministers we had in the last few decades clearly demonstrates Britain’s decline.
But even within the overall trend Starmer was exceptionally bad.
Style above substance (since Thatcher) and most have neither!
Discussions with his “wife” – has a finally decided what a woman is?
How is he allowed to make divisive, untrue, and hateful claims, when people who speak the truth are punished?
Politicians lie, they lie almost all the time.
The establishment’s divisive, untrue and hateful claims are allowed. It’s official dogma.
Untrue statements that are not in accordance with establishment dogma are frowned upon, but what will really get you into trouble – censorship, arrest even imprisonment – are TRUTHS that are at odds with establishment dogma.
It was like being in a parallel universe when he trotted out all of his supposed successes. It is harder to think of a PM in my lifetime so detached from reality, and there have been a number of contenders.
More faces than a diamond.
… a fake one.