Overview
- Starmer announced on Monday, June 22, that he will step down as Labour leader and remain in a caretaker role until the party’s National Executive Committee sets a timetable for his replacement.
- The NEC timetable given by Starmer makes nominations open from July 9 to July 16 and aims to conclude the selection by September 1 unless a single candidate is unopposed, in which case a mid-July elevation is possible.
- Andy Burnham declared his bid within hours of Starmer’s announcement and former health secretary Wes Streeting withdrew and endorsed Burnham, leaving Burnham widely seen as the frontrunner to succeed him.
- Labour sources and analysts say the resignation followed heavy losses in May local and regional elections, high-profile ministerial departures and the fallout from controversies such as the Peter Mandelson appointment, with Burnham’s Makerfield by-election win accelerating the shift.
- If a candidate wins the support of 20 percent of Labour MPs — about 81 MPs — there will be no membership ballot and that person becomes leader, a development that could leave policy largely continuous because Burnham is expected to follow much of Labour’s 2024 manifesto.