British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced his resignation

London — The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, announced on Monday that he is resigning from his position as the leader of the ruling party, the Labor Party, which will also be considered as the leader of the country.

Starmer has been under increasing pressure to resign for weeks, following a a disastrous round of local elections in his party at the beginning of May, but his decision came after a political challenger from Labour, the former Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham, has made it clear that he will challenge the prime minister for his work.

Starmer had it he asserted that he would remain in his positionbut his position was not accepted as more of his Labor Party colleagues concluded that his time was up. Plans for his departure grew rapidly after Burnham stepped down as mayor and won a seat last week as an MP for his constituency – a necessary move as prime ministers have long been chosen from among sitting members of the House of Commons.

It marks the end of a tumultuous reign for Starmer less than two years after his Labor Party he took power by winning the national election – and in less than two months voters have made their frustration with his handling of national affairs clear in local elections.

In a statement issued outside his office and official residence at 10 Downing Street in London, Starmer praised the beauty of his time in office, adding:

“The question my party is asking now is whether I am ready to lead us in the next election. I have heard the answer… and I accept that answer with good grace. Every decision I made was about putting the country I love first.”

“I will resign as the leader of the Labor Party,” he said.

If the Labor Party decides to nominate one person as its next leader, without internal competition, Starmer could be out as Prime Minister in July. If there is a leadership contest, a new leader will be decided when lawmakers return to parliament in September after their summer break.

Starmer said he would give his successor “my full and unwavering support.”

Starmer was visibly upset towards the end of her speech as she talked about her children, whom she called her “pride and joy.”

He said that after leaving “the biggest job in the country,” he will now spend time “on the most important job … being the best husband I could have, to my beautiful wife Vic, who has been a rock by my side through good times and bad.”

On Sunday President Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that Star “failed miserably on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!) I wish him the best!”

The rise of Andy Burnham

Starmer’s widely discussed successor is former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who won last week’s local election to return to parliament as a member of the House of Commons. Although not expressly required by law, British prime ministers have been elected from among sitting members of parliament (MPs) for decades.

In January, Labor leaders blocked Burnham’s bid to run in a separate local election, a move widely interpreted as an attempt to block any attempt to wrest power from Starmer.

Burnham and Starmer have been at odds on some issues.

If the party decides to do a so-called “replacement” instead of a leadership contest, it is expected that Burnham will be the one to lead the country, although some Labor politicians are rumored to want to run for Prime Minister.

Delivering his acceptance speech after winning his local parliamentary seat last week, Burnham – often referred to as the “King of the North” after almost a decade as Mayor of Manchester – left no doubt that he hopes to lead the party and the country.

“Everyone knows that politics doesn’t work,” he said. “Everybody can feel that the country is not where it should be. Tonight could be a turning point.”