Keir Starmer says he will quit as U.K. prime minister after facing rebellion from his own MPs

BREAKING NEWSJun. 22, 2026, 8:35 AM UTCUnited KingdomUnited KingdomKeir Starmer says he will quit as U.K. prime minister after facing rebellion from his own MPsMonday’s announcement may clear the path to power for Andy Burnham, who had planned to bring a challenge against Starmer. The next prime minister will be the seventh in just 10 years.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Starmer made a statement outside No. 10 Downing Street on Monday morning, ending weeks of mounting speculation.Henry Nicholls / AFP via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Henry Austin, Nick Duffy and Freddie ClaytonLONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Monday that he will resign, after facing an uprising within his center-left Labour Party.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The announcement may clear the path to power for Starmer’s likely successor, Andy Burnham. The next prime minister will become the country’s seventh leader in a decade.It marks an astonishing fall for a leader who sealed a landslide election victory in 2024, riding a wave of popular discontent against 14 years of right-wing Conservative rule. But Starmer’s political fortunes have taken a hit from a series of bruising scandals, while many of his own lawmakers blamed him for policy missteps that have proved deeply unpopular with the public.Calls for Starmer to quit have intensified since May, when, after just two years in power, he led his party to one of its worst-ever performances in local and regional elections, as Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform UK made historic gains.The leader’s key rival within the party is Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, who had openly discussed plans to bring a leadership challenge. Burnham won a special election on Thursday for a seat in Parliament, clearing a crucial hurdle for him to mount such a challenge.Add NBC News to GoogleAndy Burnham wins highly watched British local election01...