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The announcement follows mounting pressure on the prime minister after Labour suffered heavy losses in local elections in May and faced an increasingly vocal rebellion from his own lawmakers over his leadership and policy agenda.
The move comes less than two years after Starmer led Labour to one of its largest parliamentary majorities in the 2024 general election.
In a statement outside 10 Downing Street shortly after 9:30 a.m. in London, Starmer said he would remain in post until any leadership contest is completed, which he said would help ensure an orderly handover of power.
Labour’s former Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, won a decisive victory in a special election on June 18, potentially setting up a challenge for the party’s leadership and, by extension, the U.K.’s premiership.
Starmer and Finance Minister Rachel Reeves have been battling discontent over fiscal policy within their own ranks, while welfare reforms and the appointment of Peter Mandelson — an associate of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — as U.S. ambassador, further damaged intra-party relations.
An Ipsos poll published on Friday suggested that 52% of the British public think Starmer should stand down as prime minister, five percentage points higher than in May, while 35% think he should continue.
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