Keir Starmer quits as India-UK trade deal nears July 15 rollout
Keir Starmer resigned days after meeting Narendra Modi and fixing July 15 for the India-UK trade deal. His exit leaves the pact taking effect as Britain prepares for a new leader.
Keir Starmer, the human rights barrister who was elected Britain's Prime Minister with a landslide victory in July 2024, had made the India-UK free trade agreement a key part of his agenda. Just days before announcing his resignation on the steps of 10 Downing Street in London on Monday morning, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France, where both leaders set July 15 as the date for the agreement to come into force.
His departure means the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, expected to significantly boost the 48 billion pounds bilateral trading relationship, is set to be implemented at around the same time that Britain is expected to have a new leader. During a visit to Mumbai last October, Starmer had said: "It's not just a piece of paper, it's a launchpad for growth. With India set to be the third biggest economy in the world by 2028, and trade with them about to become quicker and cheaper, the opportunities waiting to be seized are unparalleled."
The 63-year-old MP for Holborn and St Pancras in London was credited with turning around Labour's fortunes after the party's crushing election defeat in December 2019. Another repair job he worked on was rebuilding Labour's ties with British Indians, who had felt alienated under former leader Jeremy Corbyn over what was seen as an anti-India stance on Kashmir.
As Prime Minister, his approach to India was reflected in Labour's 2024 election manifesto, which pledged to seek a "new strategic partnership with India, including a free trade agreement, as well as deepening cooperation in areas like security, education, technology and climate change". Ahead of the general election, he had said: "I have a clear message for you all today: this is a changed Labour Party."
During a campaign visit to the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Kingsbury in north London, Starmer told British Hindus there was "absolutely no place for Hinduphobia in Britain". He repeated that message over the past few years, including during Diwali celebrations at 10 Downing Street.
Sir Keir, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to law and criminal justice, spent much of his career in the legal profession before entering politics. He was first elected as a Labour MP from London in 2015. Like his Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak, he studied law at the University of Oxford and later rose to become Director of Public Prosecutions under a Labour-led government. He drew on that experience in House of Commons debates and during weekly Prime Minister's Questions.
Born in London to a toolmaker father and an NHS nurse mother, Starmer grew up in Oxted in Surrey. He has spoken emotionally about his mother, Josephine, who suffered from Still's disease and died a few weeks before he first became an MP in 2015. He has said he inherited her grit and determination, and his father Rodney's strong work ethic. He and his wife Victoria, an NHS employee, have two teenage children, whom they have kept out of the political spotlight.
As a new MP in 2016, the staunch anti-Brexiteer became shadow Brexit secretary under Jeremy Corbyn and backed him in what he said was a fight for the "future of the Labour Party". After Labour's 2019 election defeat, he took over as party leader and sought to move away from the party's past line, arguing that Labour under him had a fully costed manifesto focused on housebuilding, growing the economy and fixing the NHS.
Even until last week, Starmer had insisted he would fight any leadership challenge. But after an early period of success and some economic stability, a series of misjudgements and policy U-turns are said to have cost him the top job. In his resignation speech, a visibly emotional Starmer said: "The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question and I accept that answer with good grace." His exit comes just as the India-UK trade deal he had championed is set to take effect.
With PTI Inputs
Keir Starmer, the human rights barrister who was elected Britain's Prime Minister with a landslide victory in July 2024, had made the India-UK free trade agreement a key part of his agenda. Just days before announcing his resignation on the steps of 10 Downing Street in London on Monday morning, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France, where both leaders set July 15 as the date for the agreement to come into force.
His departure means the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, expected to significantly boost the 48 billion pounds bilateral trading relationship, is set to be implemented at around the same time that Britain is expected to have a new leader. During a visit to Mumbai last October, Starmer had said: "It's not just a piece of paper, it's a launchpad for growth. With India set to be the third biggest economy in the world by 2028, and trade with them about to become quicker and cheaper, the opportunities waiting to be seized are unparalleled."
The 63-year-old MP for Holborn and St Pancras in London was credited with turning around Labour's fortunes after the party's crushing election defeat in December 2019. Another repair job he worked on was rebuilding Labour's ties with British Indians, who had felt alienated under former leader Jeremy Corbyn over what was seen as an anti-India stance on Kashmir.
As Prime Minister, his approach to India was reflected in Labour's 2024 election manifesto, which pledged to seek a "new strategic partnership with India, including a free trade agreement, as well as deepening cooperation in areas like security, education, technology and climate change". Ahead of the general election, he had said: "I have a clear message for you all today: this is a changed Labour Party."
During a campaign visit to the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Kingsbury in north London, Starmer told British Hindus there was "absolutely no place for Hinduphobia in Britain". He repeated that message over the past few years, including during Diwali celebrations at 10 Downing Street.
Sir Keir, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to law and criminal justice, spent much of his career in the legal profession before entering politics. He was first elected as a Labour MP from London in 2015. Like his Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak, he studied law at the University of Oxford and later rose to become Director of Public Prosecutions under a Labour-led government. He drew on that experience in House of Commons debates and during weekly Prime Minister's Questions.
Born in London to a toolmaker father and an NHS nurse mother, Starmer grew up in Oxted in Surrey. He has spoken emotionally about his mother, Josephine, who suffered from Still's disease and died a few weeks before he first became an MP in 2015. He has said he inherited her grit and determination, and his father Rodney's strong work ethic. He and his wife Victoria, an NHS employee, have two teenage children, whom they have kept out of the political spotlight.
As a new MP in 2016, the staunch anti-Brexiteer became shadow Brexit secretary under Jeremy Corbyn and backed him in what he said was a fight for the "future of the Labour Party". After Labour's 2019 election defeat, he took over as party leader and sought to move away from the party's past line, arguing that Labour under him had a fully costed manifesto focused on housebuilding, growing the economy and fixing the NHS.
Even until last week, Starmer had insisted he would fight any leadership challenge. But after an early period of success and some economic stability, a series of misjudgements and policy U-turns are said to have cost him the top job. In his resignation speech, a visibly emotional Starmer said: "The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question and I accept that answer with good grace." His exit comes just as the India-UK trade deal he had championed is set to take effect.
With PTI Inputs
