Transition timetable: what a Starmer autumn handover could look like

New leader could be chosen unchallenged or after a quick contest while outgoing PM has time to finalise his legacy If the predictions are proved correct and Keir Starmer does announce a timetable for an autumn departure from Downing Street, the machinery of government will again kick into gear for a handover of power – but one that will be, by UK standards, relatively leisurely. While many democracies build in lengthy transition periods – a defeated or retiring US president serves for nearly three months after their successor has been picked – the UK tends to do things at speed. A losing prime minister will typically get out of 10 Downing Street the morning after an election while the removal vans of their replacements lurk idling around the corner. In July 2024, an election-wearied Starmer held his first press conference inside Downing Street, confessing to the assembled media that he was still getting lost in the maze of interconnected buildings that made up his new home-meets-workplace. Two years on, he is widely expected to announce a date for his exit, perhaps on Monday. Andy Burnham’s team are understood to have pushed for the PM to stay on until September, a timetable that w