I am saddened to see Keir Starmer resign as Prime Minister.
Keir becomes the sixth PM to stand down in ten years, which is a sad indictment of our country and our politics.
Over recent weeks I have been concerned that we would be heading into further upheaval and questioned whether this was the right time to change leader. I think that Keir’s address from Downing Street, in which he reflected on the achievements of himself and his government, from leading Labour to a landslide victory from the ashes of our worst ever defeat, to the progress that has been made on growth, NHS waiting times and net migration reflect well on him.
However, following the recent local election results and Andy Burnham’s remarkable victory in Makerfield, Keir has reflected that his personal unpopularity poses too great a risk of a Farage government and has therefore, in the national and party interest, taken the difficult decision to stand down.
For that, he deserves our thanks, our respect and our gratitude. I wish him and his family all the very best for the future.
The party will need to move swiftly to reassure people, party members, businesses and our financial markets that the next chapter in this government will be a stable and successful one, and whoever takes on this most difficult role next will have my full support.
