Keir Starmer announces resignation as prime minister and Labour Party leader

Sir Keir Starmer has said he will quit as Labour Party leader, paving the way for a contest to decide a new prime minister. Speaking in Downing Street, Sir Keir said he accepted he was not best placed to lead Labour into the next general election and he had informed King Charles III of his decision to step down. He added that he had asked Labour's governing body to set out a timetable to replace him, with nominations opening on 9 July and ending by the summer recess on 16 July. He said if there was a contest then a new leader would be in place before Parliament returned in September, and he would "do everything" he could to ensure an "orderly" transition of power. Sir Keir said he would remain as prime minister until the leadership contest was complete. He would, he said, also give his successor "my full and unequivocal support, knowing that they will inherit a Britain that is far stronger and fairer than the one I inherited two years ago". Andy Burnham is regarded by many as the frontrunner to replace Sir Keir after he secured an emphatic win over his Reform UK rival in last week's Makerfield by-election. Burnham announced on Monday that he would put himself forward as a candidate