Keir Starmer resignation speech live: Prime Minister speaking outside Downing Street after Andy Burnham by-election win

By LETTICE BROMOVSKY, NEWS REPORTER Keir Starmer choked up today as he announced he is quitting - with Andy Burnham closing in on taking control of Downing Street. The PM talked up his achievements in getting Labour elected in a statement outside the famous black door of No10. But he acknowledged that his time had run out. 'I know the question being asked now is not who is best placed to change the Labour Party... the question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election.' The King spoke to Sir Keir Starmer by phone earlier this morning while at his Gloucestershire residence Highgrove, Buckingham Palace said. Starmer has asked the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party to set out a timetable with nominations opening for the leadership on 9 July, and completed by the summer recess. This will mean a new leader is in place before parliament returns in September. Nigel Farage has called for an immediate general election following Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation, arguing that the public should be given the chance to decide who governs the country. In a post on his Substack page, Mr Farage wrote: Sir Keir Starmer appeared to be getting emotional as he thanked his wife Victoria for her support at the end of his speech. They both stood before No 10 before going back in, again to loud applause and cheers for Sir Keir’s team gathered outside. The loud music coming from outside the gates to Downing Street, which had stopped for a moment, has resumed. Sir Keir Starmer he will spend more time being the “best husband” and “best dad” after his resignation. Speaking from Downing Street, he said: Sir Keir Starmer used his resignation speech outside Downing Street to reflect on the state of Labour when he first took charge, saying he inherited a party that was "politically, financially and morally bankrupt". The outgoing Prime Minister said critics repeatedly warned him the party was beyond saving, recalling how he was told "time and time again" that Labour was "finished". However, he insisted he had "proved those people wrong". Starmer pointed to a series of reforms he introduced during his leadership, including what he described as "ripping out the poison of anti-Semitism" from the party. He also claimed to have rebuilt Labour's credibility by "restoring trust on the economy, defence and national security." Sir Keir Starmer has asked Labour’s governing body to set out a timetable to replace him, beginning on July 9, and ending by the summer recess to 'ensure a new leader is in place before Parliament returns in September'. Sir Keir Starmer said he will resign as leader of the Labour Party and he has informed the King of his decision. Sir Keir Starmer is set to resign from the same lectern as Rishi Sunak. The Prime Minister is expected to appear in Downing Street in the next few minutes. The comments below have been moderated in advance. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.