British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he would step down as Labour leader and Prime Minister, bringing months of political turmoil to a head and triggering a contest to choose his successor.

The announcement followed mounting pressure after Labour suffered heavy losses in local elections in May and faced growing dissent from within its parliamentary ranks over Starmer’s leadership and policy direction.

The decision comes less than two years after Starmer led Labour to one of its largest parliamentary majorities in the 2024 general election.

Speaking outside 10 Downing Street shortly after 9:30 a.m. in London, Starmer said he would remain in office until the leadership contest was concluded to ensure an orderly transfer of power.

He said every decision he had taken in office was aimed at “putting the country I love first”, and thanked his “fantastic wife, Vic”, describing her as “a rock”.

Starmer also said he wanted to be “the best dad I can to my beautiful children, who are my pride and joy”.

Veteran Labour politician Mr. Andy Burnham is expected to return to the House of Commons after winning a crucial by-election, paving the way for a widely anticipated leadership challenge.

Under Labour Party rules, the party leader must be a serving member of parliament.

Britain is now set to have its seventh prime minister in a decade, an unprecedented level of political turnover in modern times.

The 63-year-old former lawyer had insisted he would resist any attempt to force him out, but the emphatic nature of Burnham’s victory in last week’s by-election in the north-west constituency of Makerfield appears to have prompted a rethink.

United States President Donald Trump had predicted Starmer’s departure, writing on his Truth Social platform on Sunday that “Keir Starmer will resign”.

Trump, whose initially cordial relationship with Starmer deteriorated after disagreements linked to the Iran conflict, criticised the British leader’s immigration and energy policies, adding: “I wish him well.”

Burnham, who has served as Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017, has made clear his intention to seek the Labour leadership, warning in his victory speech that the party had a “final chance to change”.

According to reports, Starmer spent the weekend with his family at Chequers, the official country residence of British prime ministers, where he held talks with close allies.

Business Secretary Mr. Peter Kyle told Sky News that Starmer was “making time to reflect on the political realities, challenges and opportunities that he finds himself in”.

Before the announcement, The Guardian had reported that Starmer and his inner circle were already working on a resignation speech, with one possible timetable allowing him to remain in office until after the summer and hand over to a new leader at Labour’s annual conference in late September.

Foreign Secretary Ms. Yvette Cooper was reportedly among senior ministers urging him to resign, while more than 100 of Labour’s 403 MPs were said to have called for his departure.

Starmer, who assumed office in July 2024, had struggled to maintain his grip on power amid a series of policy reversals, scandals, ministerial resignations, and other controversies.

He narrowly survived an earlier leadership crisis in March following criticism over his decision to appoint Mr. Peter Mandelson, an associate of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to Washington.