British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to announce his resignation on Monday and outline a timetable for leaving office, according to a late-night report in The Observer. The government denied the story, saying no decision has been made.
The newspaper said Starmer has concluded that continuing in office is “no longer sustainable” after recent talks with ministers, advisers, donors and trade union leaders. It added that he is now at Chequers, the prime minister’s official country residence, consulting with his wife before making a final decision.
Labor officials were said to be expecting a clear statement about his political future early in the week, but a government source said Starmer “continues to carry out his work and deal with state affairs as usual.” The source also pointed to his remarks on Friday, when he said he would fight any attempt to oust him as Labor leader and urged the party to avoid internal battles that would only harm it.
Starmer led Labor to victory in the 2024 election, returning the party to power after 14 years in opposition. Since then, however, his support has fallen amid a series of crises and policy shifts. Pressure intensified in February after he admitted appointing former minister Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the United States despite knowing about his close ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. On Friday, the threat to Starmer’s position reached a new peak when political rival and Manchester mayor Andy Burnham won a seat in parliament, potentially allowing him to seek the party leadership and force a challenge against the sitting prime minister.
