Sir Keir Starmer to resign as MP after standing down as Prime Minister
Just weeks after standing down as Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer is set to leave the House of Commons.
Sir Keir Starmer is to stand down as an MP, just weeks after stepping down as Prime Minister.
The former Labour leader says he now wants to “pass the baton to a successor” and instead focus on “international affairs including defence, security, trade and technology”.
He announced his intention to resign as the MP for Holborn and St Pancras, a position he has held for 11 years, in the local paper The Camden New Journal.
He said: “It has been a huge honour and privilege to represent the best constituency in the country and to have taken over from Frank Dobson, who was such a great constituency MP and a member of the last Labour government.
“I will now focus on other things and that will be international affairs including defence, security, trade and technology in a fast-changing world.
“I will also continue, as I have done for a long time now with others, work on combating violence against women and girls; that is an issue that matters to me hugely.
“It’s work I started before I became an MP and it’s work I’m keen to continue after I’m an MP. So international affairs on the one hand, and continuing my work on violence against women and girls on the other.”
The announcement came just hours before his successor Andy Burnham spoke in the House of Commons as Prime Minister for the first time.
In announcing his intention to resign, Sir Keir also thanked the local constituency Labour Party for “always having my back”.
He said: “They have been resolute in their support for me - firstly in becoming an MP and then becoming the leader of the Labour Party and then as Prime Minister.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better, more supportive constituency Labour Party.
“They have always had my back, and my constituency staff have worked tirelessly on casework and campaigns, and making sure that constituency concerns are picked up and dealt with efficiently.
“Mt years on the frontline were basically six-and-a-half years because it was from picking up the Labour Party in 2019 from the worst election result since 1935 and turning it around to a general election landslide victory in 2024, while most people said it wouldn’t be possible to win the election in 2024 - let alone win it with a landslide.
“No leader has ever pulled such a swing across from such a low base to a landslide in the way that we did.”
A by-election will now be triggered in the London seat. Sir Keir had previously told the BBC he would stay on as an MP until the next general election in 2029.
Sir Keir had been re-elected to the seat with an 11,000 majority at the 2024 general election.
His resignation as an MP so soon after resigning as Prime Minister is one of the quickest in recent history.
Rishi Sunak remains the current Conservative MP for Richmond and Northallerton, despite leaving Downing Street more than two years ago. His predecessor Liz Truss remained a backbencher until she lost her seat at the general election.
Theresa May stayed on as an MP for five years after standing down as Prime Minister.
Both Boris Johnson and David Cameron quit the House of Commons shortly after leaving Downing Street.
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