Keir Starmer’s departure as prime minister will not automatically trigger a general election, despite a clamour from some opposition politicians. But voters do not need to be involved in the selection of his successor because of how the UK political system operates: the Labour party won a five-year mandate in July 2024. The main question right now is whether there will even be a contest within Labour to choose its new leader and the UK’s next prime minister.
The UK is a parliamentary democracy. Westminster elections are held at least every five years, and governments are generally formed by the party – or coalition of parties – that has a majority of MPs in the House of Commons. By convention and political necessity, the monarch appoints the leader of the majority party to be prime minister. When there has been no majority party, the monarch has usually invited the leader of the largest party to form a government.
