Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain announced his resignation Monday, bowing to a mutiny inside his party and the threat of a direct challenge to his leadership of the country.
Mr. Starmer said he would remain as prime minister until a new party leader is selected, by September, rather than fight to remain in the job he won almost two years ago.
His decision clears the way for Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade, extending a period of political turmoil for the country since it voted to leave the European Union in 2016.
“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,” Mr. Starmer said in brief remarks in front of No. 10 Downing Street, his voice breaking with emotion at times.
“I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace,” he said.
“That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party.”
The most likely replacement for Mr. Starmer is Andy Burnham, whose resounding victory last week in a special election energized his bid to oust the prime minister.
Mr. Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester and one of Labour’s most popular politicians, received almost 55 percent of the vote in the Makerfield district.
It was not immediately clear when Mr. Starmer might leave Downing Street.
He said he wanted nominations to replace him to open on July 9 and close when Parliament takes its summer break.
A new Labour leader would then be elected by September and become prime minister.
But if Mr. Burnham is the only candidate, he could take over as early as July.
Mr. Starmer’s tenure as prime minister began in 2024 when Labour won a large parliamentary majority and put an end to 14 years of Conservative Party government.
But Labour earned a record-low vote share of 34 percent in that election, prompting analysts to call the victory a “loveless landslide.”
Mr. Starmer’s political standing was deeply damaged this year by revelations about his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States despite Mr. Mandelson’s close ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender.
But it was Labour’s devastating losses in elections to municipal councils in England and to the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments, in May, that were the final straws for many members of his party.
In recent weeks, Mr. Starmer had repeatedly vowed to fight any challenge to his position.
But in the end, he appeared to accept the political reality that came with being one of the least popular prime ministers in modern British history.
He struggled with a sagging economy and criticism from his adversaries that he often backtracked on policies.
“I will do everything I can to ensure an orderly handover of power,” he said.
“I will also give my successor my full and unequivocal support, knowing that they will inherit a Britain that is far stronger and fairer than the one I inherited.”
The New York Times