Keir Starmer calls decision to resign as British PM 'intensely personal'

Keir Starmer Jul 5 @keirstarmer https://substack.com/@keirstarmer/note/c-288480810?r=339cis&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web As I get ready to pass on the torch to the next Labour leader and Prime Minister, here are my thoughts on our first two years in government. What we've done, and more importantly, who we have done it for. Read my latest Substack. Keir Starmer Dec 6, 2025 @keirstarmer Communication is changing, and I want to be a part of that. People have a right to know how decisions that affect them are taken and why. That’s why I’m now on Substack. https://substack.com/@keirstarmer/note/c-184618464?r=339cis&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web

calls decision to resign as British PM 'intensely personal'I grappled with what was the best thing to do for me, for the country, for the government," he said. "In the end, it became an intensely personal decision". Starmer also had some words of warning for his likely successor, the former mayor of Greater Manchester and newly elected MP Andy Burnham, who recently returned to Westminster after winning the Makerfield by-election in June. He said the next prime minister would not be able to spend any less time focusing on diplomacy and international affairs, citing the impact of the wars in Ukraine and Iran. "The biggest impact on the cost of living, therefore on the household income and living standards of everybody in the country... the biggest impact in the last few years has been on one hand the Ukraine conflict, on the other the Iran conflict," he said. "If you’re prime minister and you care what bills are going to be like in any household around the country, you have to care about finding a lasting solution to the situation in Ukraine. You have to care about what happens in the strait of Hormuz," he added.Starmer, who said he had "always got on" with Burnham, has faced criticism from some throughout his time in Downing Street for spending too much time out of the country and meeting with other world leaders, with some dubbing him "never here Keir". Burnham, by contrast, has homed in on domestic issues as he bids to take over as leader of the Labour Party, pledging to end trickle-down economics and neoliberalism. Burnham previously served as the MP for Leigh from 2001 to 2017 before becoming mayor of Greater Manchester. Speaking after his victory in Makerfield, Burnham said Labour had a "final chance to change" and "build a new politics based on unity and hope".Outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called his decision to step down from office "intensely personal" in his first interview since he resigned last month. "It was tough. I'm not going to pretend otherwise," Starmer, who will remain in office until his Labour Party appoints a successor, told the BBC.I was a successful PM, Starmer insists as he vows to 'keep his mouth shut' when Burnham takes chargeSir Keir Starmer has insisted that he was a successful prime minister in his first interview since announcing his resignation. Speaking since his tearful resignation last Tuesday, Starmer claimed that he 'saved' the Labour Party and promised to 'keep his mouth shut' under his successor, saying he'd 'always got on' with Andy Burnham. In the candid interview, Sir Keir described the decision to resign after a weekend with his family at Chequers as 'intensely personal'. Sir Keir said: 'For me, and this may be different for other people, in the end it became an intensely personal decision, and that's why it was a decision taken ultimately when Vic and I were away with the kids, we went to Chequers and just spent two days together as a family, and that's when I came to my final decision.' He also defended his decision to spend a significant time during his two-year premiership on global affairs instead of domestic issues, hitting back at critics who labelled him 'never here Keir'. The outgoing premier said: 'If you're prime minister and you care what bills are going to be like in any household around the country, you have to care about finding a lasting solution to the situation in Ukraine, you have to care about what happens in the Strait of Hormuz. 'It's not sensible to think you can just separate these two things out.'He also warned his likely successor, former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, that he will not be able to spend less time grappling with the turmoil around the world than he has. Asked if he believed it was possible for his successor to spend less time on diplomacy, Sir Keir told the BBC: 'No, I don't think it is possible. 'So this suggestion you can really, in the modern era, simply split up the international and domestic, is just… it just doesn't make sense. It isn't true. It isn't right.'Sir Keir announced he was stepping down as Prime Minister on June 23 after accepting that Labour MPs no longer believed he was the right person to lead the party into the next general election. In an emotional statement outside Downing Street, the outgoing PM revealed a new Labour leader will be chosen before Parliament returns in September and pledged to remain in office until an orderly handover is completed. Fighting back tears, he paid tribute to his wife Victoria and their children as he reflected on his time in No 10. Sir Keir also defended his record in office, insisting he had transformed a Labour Party that was once 'politically, financially and morally bankrupt' and restored trust on the economy, defence and national security. In an interview on Friday, Sir Keir called the decision to leave 'tough, really tough'. He said: 'Well, it was tough, I'm not going to pretend otherwise, really, really tough, as I grappled with what was the best thing to do for me, for the country, for the Government.Those discussions inevitably start with many discussions with colleagues, with parliamentary colleagues, with the team here, with my immediate advisers, with trade unions, so many people in that discussion. 'But for me, and this may be different for other people, in the end it became an intensely personal decision, and that's why it was a decision taken ultimately when Vic and I were away with the kids, we went to Chequers and just spent two days together as a family, and that's when I came to my final decision.' Attention is now turning to the race to replace Starmer, with Andy Burnham widely seen as the frontrunner as he heads to Westminster to be sworn in as an MP following his Makerfield by-election victory. Sir Keir said there would be an 'orderly' process to choose his replacement, and that a successor would be in place before the Commons summer recess on July 16, if there is only one candidate – Mr Burnham. Otherwise, the decision could take until August. Mr Burnham – who has rallied huge support from Labour MPs since romping home in the Makerfield by-election on June 19 – was sworn in at the Commons on June 22. Sir Keir and Mr Burnham were not thought to have spoken directly for months, and Sir Keir was nowhere to be seen for a mass 'selfie' staged by Mr Burnham with his new colleagues. After Sir Keir's resignation, Reform leader Nigel Farage immediately joined calls – including from some Labour MPs - for a general election to accompany the change at the top.