Ousted UK Prime Minister Starmer quits parliament to focus on international affairs

Keir Starmer will stand down as a ​member of parliament, he said on ​Tuesday, some six weeks after he resigned ‌as ​Britain's prime ministerhaving lost the support of his Labour Party.

Starmer guided Labour into power in 2024 with one of the biggest parliamentary majorities in ‌Britain's modern history, completing a remarkable turnaround having become Labour leader four years earlier after its worst election showing since 1935. But the former lawyer, whose tenure as prime minister was marked by several damaging U-turns, failed ‌to connect with voters and steadily lost the support of the public and his party.

Starmer had previously ‌said he would remain as a lawmaker until the next general election. But he told the Camden New Journal, a local newspaper in his North London constituency, that he had changed his mind and intended to "concentrate on international affairs". He confirmed his ⁠resignation ​in a statement on X. Despite ⁠the sagging popularity at home that cost him his job, foreign affairs were often seen as a strength during Starmer's premiership. ⁠He worked closely with French President Emmanuel Macron to establish the so-called Coalition of the Willing in support of Ukraine, ​reset ties with China, recognised a Palestinian state and had mixed success in efforts to ⁠build relations with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The newspaper report did not give a timeframe for when an election would be held for ⁠Starmer's ​seat in the constituency of Holborn and St Pancras. Starmer comfortably held the seat in 2024 with a majority of just over 11,500, though an independent candidate who campaigned primarily on opposition to Israel's ⁠war in Gaza took nearly 19% of the vote.

He was replaced as prime minister in July by ⁠Andy Burnham, who became ⁠Britain's seventh prime minister in a decade. Burnham's accession has led to a bounce in the polls for Labour, though he faces a sterner test when ‌parliament resumes later ‌on Tuesday.