Keir Starmer bids emotional goodbye as Andy Burnham prepares to take over
Keir Starmer signed off from his final Prime Minister's Questions with an emotional goodbye. The moment marked Labour's imminent handover to Andy Burnham after a swift leadership race.
Keir Starmer ended his final Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday with an emotional farewell, drawing a standing ovation from Labour MPs. The 63-year-old, who announced his resignation last month and has been serving as caretaker until a new party leader is chosen, said he was leaving Britain in a better place than he found it and offered his "wholehearted support" to his successor.
Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, is set to become the next British prime minister next week after securing the backing of 349 Labour MPs in the leadership race. He is expected to be elected unopposed as the new Labour leader once the nominations process closes on Thursday.
In a largely good-natured final exchange across the despatch box, Starmer looked back on his time in office and his role in reviving Labour after its defeat in 2019. "I'm proud to leave this country in a better shape than I found it; I am proud of everything that we have achieved," he told MPs as he ended PMQs with "goodbye". He added: "Every Prime Minister knows when they take up the torch that the day will come when they have to pass it on. That day has come for me. This is the end of my political journey. In six years, we went from historic defeat in 2019 to historic victory in 2024."
Referring to England's World Cup football semi-final against Argentina later on Wednesday, Starmer said: "For my successor and for the England team, I won't give advice. I will simply give my wholehearted support." He added, "Just for the record, I don't care what the score is tonight, as long as we win." When pressed by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, he said any advice for the incoming Labour leader would remain private. "I will give my wholehearted support to my successor. I want this Labour government to be a success, I want our country to be a success. I shall give my support privately if asked for, not publicly when not asked for," he said.
Starmer's departure comes after a period in which early popularity gave way to controversy over some decisions and policy U-turns, fuelling unrest within Labour as MPs called for quicker action on the cost-of-living crisis. On June 22, he said on the steps of Downing Street that he accepted his party's demands "with good grace" and would resign to "ensure an orderly handover of power".
Burnham returned to Parliament after winning a by-election in Makerfield last month and quickly emerged as the clear frontrunner for the top job. On Monday, Starmer is expected to formally tender his resignation to King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, after which Burnham is likely to be invited by the monarch to form the new government, bringing Starmer's final week in office to a close.
With PTI Inputs
Keir Starmer ended his final Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday with an emotional farewell, drawing a standing ovation from Labour MPs. The 63-year-old, who announced his resignation last month and has been serving as caretaker until a new party leader is chosen, said he was leaving Britain in a better place than he found it and offered his "wholehearted support" to his successor.
Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, is set to become the next British prime minister next week after securing the backing of 349 Labour MPs in the leadership race. He is expected to be elected unopposed as the new Labour leader once the nominations process closes on Thursday.
In a largely good-natured final exchange across the despatch box, Starmer looked back on his time in office and his role in reviving Labour after its defeat in 2019. "I'm proud to leave this country in a better shape than I found it; I am proud of everything that we have achieved," he told MPs as he ended PMQs with "goodbye". He added: "Every Prime Minister knows when they take up the torch that the day will come when they have to pass it on. That day has come for me. This is the end of my political journey. In six years, we went from historic defeat in 2019 to historic victory in 2024."
Referring to England's World Cup football semi-final against Argentina later on Wednesday, Starmer said: "For my successor and for the England team, I won't give advice. I will simply give my wholehearted support." He added, "Just for the record, I don't care what the score is tonight, as long as we win." When pressed by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, he said any advice for the incoming Labour leader would remain private. "I will give my wholehearted support to my successor. I want this Labour government to be a success, I want our country to be a success. I shall give my support privately if asked for, not publicly when not asked for," he said.
Starmer's departure comes after a period in which early popularity gave way to controversy over some decisions and policy U-turns, fuelling unrest within Labour as MPs called for quicker action on the cost-of-living crisis. On June 22, he said on the steps of Downing Street that he accepted his party's demands "with good grace" and would resign to "ensure an orderly handover of power".
Burnham returned to Parliament after winning a by-election in Makerfield last month and quickly emerged as the clear frontrunner for the top job. On Monday, Starmer is expected to formally tender his resignation to King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, after which Burnham is likely to be invited by the monarch to form the new government, bringing Starmer's final week in office to a close.
With PTI Inputs
