UK PM Keir Starmer resigns

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Monday that he will stand down as Labour leader and prime minister, ending months of political turmoil and opening a contest to replace him.

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.