Keir Starmer's stunning fall from grace: How 'technocrat' London lawyer took Labour from historic majority to crisis in under two years

By GREG HEFFER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 11:52, 22 June 2026 | Updated: 11:58, 22 June 2026 On 5 July 2024, Keir Starmer entered Downing Street as the first Labour Prime Minister in 14 years and only the seventh Labour premier ever. Sir Keir promised his incoming administration would 'tread more lightly on your lives' and 'unite our country' following years of Westminster drama and division. But, less than two years later, the 63-year-old is now resigning amid bitter Labour infighting and with his popularity ratings at historic lows. The speed of Sir Keir's fall from grace - just 717 days after he became PM with a stonking Labour majority in the House of Commons - has stunned Westminster. The drama associated with his collapsed premiership is also at odds with Sir Keir's public persona as a 'technocratic' - and 'boring' - north London lawyer-turned-politician. Many point to early missteps in Sir Keir's time in No10 - such as his decision to axe winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners - for the swiftness of his demise. Others have said Sir Keir was never really suited to the role of PM, with insiders having despaired at his lack of decisiveness. They remarked on his 'oddly passive premiership' and noted how, in his first weeks in power, the PM would read for hours in his No10 study but then 'said nothing'. Keir Starmer, with his wife Victoria, has announced his resignation just 717 days after he became Prime Minister with a stonking Labour majority in the House of Commons On 5 July 2024, Sir Keir entered Downing Street as the first Labour PM in 14 years and only the seventh Labour premier ever Sir Keir, a former head of the Crown Prosecution Service, was elected Labour leader at the height of lockdown restrictions in April 2020. He acted swiftly to change Labour's direction from the party's four-and-a-half years under his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn. This included suspending - and then ultimately expelling - Mr Corbyn from Labour as Sir Keir showed his ruthless side in taking on Labour's Left. Sir Keir was Opposition Leader to three Tory PMs and he seized on the Conservatives' leadership chaos during the 2024 general election campaign. He promised voters that Labour would 'stop the chaos, turn the page, and start to rebuild our country'. Sir Keir was rewarded with an historic general election victory and a 174-seat Labour majority in the Commons. But observers noted it was a 'loveless landslide' with Labour's vote share of 34 per cent lower than any party forming a post–war majority government. It was also lower than the 40 per cent that Labour achieved in their 2017 general election loss under Mr Corbyn's leadership. Within Labour's first few weeks of being in power, Sir Keir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced they would means-test winter fuel payments for pensioners. They took the action as they sought to fill a claimed £22billion 'black hole' in the public finances, which Sir Keir and Ms Reeves said they had inherited from the Tories. But stripping millions of older people of cash to help with their energy bills proved deeply unpopular with voters - and Labour MPs - with Sir Keir and Ms Reeves ultimately having to U-turn on the plans. Within Labour's first few weeks of being in power, Sir Keir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced they would means-test winter fuel payments for pensioners Sir Keir was engulfed in a freebies row when it was revealed he had accepted thousands of pounds worth of free clothing - and spectacles - from Labour donor Lord Alli Perhaps Sir Keir's greatest political error during his time in Downing Street came in December 2024, when he announced the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador During his first summer in Downing Street, Sir Keir was also hit by his first national crisis when the murder of three girls at a dance class in Southport sparked widespread rioting. The police response to the outbreak of violence across UK cities and towns led to accusations by some - including controversial billionaire Elon Musk - of 'two-tier' policing in Britain. Officers were alleged to have policed the Southport riots more strongly than past protests, with offenders given tougher sentences. It saw the PM earn the moniker 'two-tier Keir' - a charge that would repeatedly be made throughout his time in Downing Street. As he prepared for his first Labour conference as PM in October, Sir Keir might have been expecting to make a triumphant address to party members on the back of his landslide election victory. But the gathering in Liverpool was held amid a furious row over the acceptance of 'freebies' by Sir Keir and other top Labour ministers. This included Sir Keir accepting thousands of pounds worth of free clothing - and spectacles - from Labour donor Lord Alli. The political row also became known as a 'passes for glasses' scandal, with Lord Alli having been given a sought-after Downing Street security pass shortly after Labour's general election win. The Labour peer handed back the pass, while Sir Keir, Ms Reeves and then-Deputy PM Angela Rayner all vowed to no longer accept clothing donations. Sir Keir and Labour's unpopularity continued to decline as he announced plans to hand over the strategically-vital Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Meanwhile, Ms Reeves' first Budget in late October 2024 brought accusations she had breached Labour's manifesto by hiking National Insurance for employers. What was perhaps Sir Keir's greatest political error during his time in Downing Street came in December that year, when he announced the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. It was a decision that spectacularly blew up in Sir Keir's face when he was forced to sack Lord Mandelson just seven months later following fresh revelations about the peer's friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The scandal later led to the departure of Sir Keir's closest aide when Morgan McSweeney quit in February this year after he pushed for Lord Mandelson's appointment. He was the second chief of staff to leave Downing Street following Sue Gray's dramatic resignation in October 2024 amid a bitter No10 power struggle. Lord Mandelson's sacking in September 2025 presented a double blow for Sir Keir as it came just days after Angela Rayner was forced to quit as Deputy PM following her tearful admission she had failed to pay correct stamp duty on her new flat. The Mandelson scandal led to the departure of Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir's closest aide, from No10 in February this year Donald Trump was furious at Sir Keir's initial decision not to allow America to use UK military bases to launch attacks on Iran The PM was forced into a scrambled Cabinet reshuffle at a time when Downing Street was declaring Sir Keir was moving to 'phase two' of his premiership in yet another 'reset' of his administration. But as well as his domestic woes, Sir Keir also faced trouble on the international stage following Donald Trump's decision to bomb Iran in late February this year. The US President was furious at Sir Keir's initial decision not to allow America to use UK military bases to launch attacks on Iran. Mr Trump went on to issue a series of vicious barbs about Sir Keir, including comparing him to Neville Chamberlain - the PM best known for his policy of appeasement towards Adolf Hitler. The final trigger for Sir Keir's downfall was this year's local elections in May, as Labour suffered a battering in Scotland, Wales and in English councils. The disastrous results prompted ministerial resignations - including the departure of Wes Streeting as health secretary - and saw swathes of Labour MPs call on Sir Keir to go. Andy Burnham was then afforded a route back to Parliament when Josh Simons quit as Makerfield MP to allow the Greater Manchester mayor to stand as Labour's candidate in a by-election for the seat. The by-election put the coup against Sir Keir on hold for a few weeks, as leadership rivals gave Mr Burnham the opportunity to secure a return to the Commons so he could stand in any leadership contest. Mr Burnham's thumping win over Reform on 18 June now appears to have given him an unstoppable momentum in his bid to fulfil his long-held ambition of being PM. Following a weekend of talks with Cabinet ministers, No10 advisers, union leaders and key Labour donors, Sir Keir returned to Downing Street on Monday from his Chequers country retreat to announce his resignation. He also set out a timetable for his departure that lends itself to Mr Burnham succeeding him in a 'coronation' by Labour MPs. No comments have so far been submitted. 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