Keir Starmer is expected to announce his resignation timetable, likely paving the way for Andy Burnham's premiership. This follows a decade of political instability in the UK with multiple PMs forced out.
Key points
Keir Starmer expected to announce resignation timetable
Andy Burnham likely to succeed him as Prime Minister
10th anniversary of the EU referendum coincides with announcement
Good morning. Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of the referendum to leave the EU, which means that Wednesday is the 10th anniversary of the day David Cameron announced he was resigning as PM. After Cameron was forced out by the result of his own referendum, another three Tory PMs were forced out by their own MPs (Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss) and another was forced out by the electorate (Rishi Sunak). Keir Starmer has been PM for less than two years, but he is about to become the sixth PM forced out within a decade, being replaced almost certainly by Andy Burnham.
In the past the British used to joke about Italy being a country where prime ministers kept changing all the time. These days Italy looks like a beacon of stability, and Britain has become the place never that far from another bout of political turmoil.
Starmer spent the weekend pondering his future at Chequers. He is back in London now and – although No 10 has not confirmed this – journalists are on standby for an announcement potentially this morning.
Here is our overnight story by Peter Walker and Pippa Crerar.
While a Starmer resignation looks inevitable, we don’t know whether there will be a leadership election or (more likely) an uncontested handover of power to Burnham. And we don’t know whether Starmer will propose staying on until September, or whether the handover will be accelerated. We will find out more as the day goes on.
The crucial event is not in the diary, because it has not been confirmed, but these are the timings we do have.
11.30am: Downing Street is expected to hold a lobby briefing.
2.30pm: Andy Burnham is due to take his seat in the Commons as the new MP for Makerfield.
After 3.30pm:Keir Starmer is expected to make a Commons statement about the G7 summit last week.
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Q&A
Why is Keir Starmer resigning as Prime Minister?
Keir Starmer is expected to resign due to political pressures, becoming the sixth PM forced out in a decade.
Who is likely to replace Keir Starmer as Prime Minister?
Andy Burnham is almost certainly set to replace Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.
What anniversary coincides with Starmer's resignation announcement?
Starmer's resignation announcement coincides with the 10th anniversary of the EU referendum.
How many Prime Ministers have been forced out in the last decade in the UK?
In the last decade, six Prime Ministers have been forced out in the UK due to various political circumstances.
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Here are some pictures from Downing Street this morning.
A street cleaner at work.
A street cleaner at work. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA
Journalists broadcasting from Downing Street.
Journalists broadcasting from Downing Street. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Getty Images
Journalists broadcasting from Downing Street.
Journalists broadcasting from Downing Street. Photograph: Neil Hall/EPA
Journalists broadcasting from Downing Street.
Journalists broadcasting from Downing Street. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA
Larry the Downing Street cat – who has seen this all before (many times).
Larry the Downing Street cat – who has seen this all before (many times). Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA
Good morning. Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of the referendum to leave the EU, which means that Wednesday is the 10th anniversary of the day David Cameron announced he was resigning as PM. After Cameron was forced out by the result of his own referendum, another three Tory PMs were forced out by their own MPs (Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss) and another was forced out by the electorate (Rishi Sunak). Keir Starmer has been PM for less than two years, but he is about to become the sixth PM forced out within a decade, being replaced almost certainly by Andy Burnham.
In the past the British used to joke about Italy being a country where prime ministers kept changing all the time. These days Italy looks like a beacon of stability, and Britain has become the place never that far from another bout of political turmoil.
Starmer spent the weekend pondering his future at Chequers. He is back in London now and – although No 10 has not confirmed this – journalists are on standby for an announcement potentially this morning.
Here is our overnight story by Peter Walker and Pippa Crerar.
While a Starmer resignation looks inevitable, we don’t know whether there will be a leadership election or (more likely) an uncontested handover of power to Burnham. And we don’t know whether Starmer will propose staying on until September, or whether the handover will be accelerated. We will find out more as the day goes on.
The crucial event is not in the diary, because it has not been confirmed, but these are the timings we do have.
11.30am: Downing Street is expected to hold a lobby briefing.
2.30pm: Andy Burnham is due to take his seat in the Commons as the new MP for Makerfield.
After 3.30pm:Keir Starmer is expected to make a Commons statement about the G7 summit last week.
If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (between 10am and 3pm), or message me on social media. I can’t read all the messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.
If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.
I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
