KEIR Starmer has announced he will resign as Prime Minister, triggering a contest for Labour’s leadership and the keys to Downing Street.
Starmer laid out his plans to resign as Prime Minister on Monday morning after reportedly spending the weekend considering his future after his main challenger to take over as leader of the Labour Party, Andy Burnham, won the Makerfield by-election on Friday.
He has asked Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to set out a timetable for his replacement, beginning on July 9.
Nominations will open on July 9 and will be completed by the summer recess, Stamer said in his speech outside Downing Street.
Starmer said that in the case of a contest, a new leader will be in place before Parliament returns in September.
Starmer will remain as Prime Minister until the contest is complete, at which point he will then step down.
“I will also give my successor my full and unequivocal support, knowing that they will inherit a Britain that is far stronger and fairer than the one I inherited two years ago, better prepared for the challenges ahead, and better able to ensure the Labour Party secures a second term in office,” Starmer said.
So what could happen next?
For a candidate to stand in the leadership contest, they must secure the backing of 81 Labour MPs, 20% of the party’s parliamentary strength.
They will also need to receive nominations from either 5% of constituency Labour parties, or three affiliated organisations. This must include two trade unions.
Candidates must pass those two stages before they can be put forward for party membership.
After a candidate receives the backing needed to stand in the contest, they are then put to a vote among party members, who rank them in order of preference.
A contender is declared the winner if they get more than 50% of first preferences, and this usually happens through a process of elimination during rounds of voting. This timetable is set by the NEC.
In 2020, Labour’s leadership contest ran for around three months, with nominations opening in early January and the result announced in early April.
However, according to reports, the party’s governing body is keen to avoid a lengthy process, so the contest to replace Starmer could be quicker than previously.
Starmer also outlined in his speech that the new leader should be instated by the party before Parliament returns in September.
So who could stand in a contest?
At the forefront of the leadership contest is Makerfield’s newly elected Labour MP, Burnham.
The Greater Manchester mayor gave up his role to become an MP after Starmer previously blocked him from doing so in a bid to challenge him for the keys to Downing Street.
Former health secretary Wes Streeting was seen as another likely contender for the leadership contest as he reportedly insisted he had got 81 names required to mount a bid.
However, on Monday Streeting announced that he has backed Burnham to become prime minister, eliminating himself as a potential candidate in any leadership race.
Streeting said he was convinced that Burnham “is committed to building an inclusive party that draws on the best of our political traditions and that he can win the fight of our lives against the force of nationalism”.
Calling for a coronation for Burnham, he said: “We could spend the summer exaggerating small differences, or we can roll up our sleeves and help him to deliver the change our party and our country needs.
“That is the choice that I am making and I hope that everyone else will back Andy too.”
Former armed forces minister, Al Carns, also hinted he could throw his hat into the ring following his resignation after a row with the Prime Minister over defence spending earlier this month.
