Moment came for PM Starmer to finally announce his resignation in September following the leadership election
This morning just after 9.30am, the podium was set up outside 10 Downing Street, and a statement on the Prime Minister’s future was imminent.
After a weekend at Chequers probably writing his exit strategy and speech, Kier Starmer emerged through the door of No. 10 and address the hundreds of media members facing him. Fox hunting may be banned in England, but hunting the PM sees to be fair game for the media who had their moment after relentlessly harrying the PM in recent months.
Starmer has been juggling a number of political balls such as the war in Ukraine, Putin threatening the UK and Baltic states, the change in the global order, coping with a volatile American president, a faltering economy, the war in Iran, soaring fuel prices, a kaleidoscopic party-political scenario in teh UK, and a NATO unsettle Trump’s hesitancy.
But Labour’s poor showing in the recent Council elections in England was probably the main turning point as MPs feared that they would be for the chopping block next.
Andy Burnham then from his mayoral platform in Manchester’s sending out signals that if he were elected to Parliament he would present a better option of dealing with the Reform threat than Starmer. Burnham had a strong win in the Mackersfield by-election, and the media sharpened their knives and they got their moment this morning.
And there have been internal UK issues such as the North-South divide, problems with illegal immigration, the rise of Reform, but he did say that defence spending had been increased, which was high on his list of achievements which he said the economy was now stronger.
However, I remember him using the words “across the United Kingdom” in a speech once and several times afterwards. But the reality for people in Northern Ireland is they many still feel that NI is a place apart and does not have the same status as other regions in the UK despite the GFA.
Before politics in NI was polarise in the 60s, the was a strongish Labour presence in the North and they held Ministerial position in the 60s cabinets. However, The British Labour Party has turned its back on its ‘brothers’ in NI.
There is a Northern Ireland Labour Party, but they are forbidden by the UK Labour executive to stand candidates or hold branch bank accounts and form local branches to fight council, Assembly and Parliamentary elections. Is this democratic ???
It will be a significant test for Andy Burnham if the current Labour members here in NI press him as the new PM for full parity of esteem.
There does seem to be a fundamental issue with the block grant and hence the constant under-funding of the health and other public services. As a ‘Northerner’, Burnham should understand the implications of this – the fragmentation of the UK as the momentum for a United Ireland never-the-less grows.
Starmer did say towards the end of his speech, which started off in a statesman-like tone and led to what looked like a tearful expression of regret but he was very dignified in how he set out the timetable for his orderly departure, saying he will step down in September after the summer recess and the leadership contest has been held.
The 64,000 dollar question is: has Andy Burnham got what it takes to juggle the same balls as Starmer was juggling ?
If he hasn’t, Reform may turn over his Party, and the Tories will be laughing from the sidelines as usual incapable of seeing their own demise and contribution to what could be the slide of the UK into a lesser world nation status… a has-been country.
Farage is threatening to deport illegal aliens in significant quantities, and a government principled by such right wing values could quickly slide into chaos being something reminiscent of 1930s Germany.
We are living in troubled and unsettling times. Across the country there is an Angst. And there is a danger that everyone puts their faith in Andy Burham who himself gets swamped with issues from different directions and eventually becomes a Starmer Mark II.
New Prime Minister must be selected swiftly as country needs stability
Ulster Unionist MP for South Antrim, Robin Swann, has called for a swift and clear process to select a new Prime Minister following Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation.
Robin Swann MP said: “There has been huge instability in Parliament in recent weeks as it became clear that Starmer wouldn’t be Prime Minister for much longer.
“What the country needs now is stability, so the process which now follows to select a new Prime Minister needs to be swift and clear, and whoever takes over the role needs to be given the time, space and opportunity to lay out their plans and front-bench team.
“The impact that this change will have on Northern Ireland is yet to become clear, but the appointments the new Prime Minister, most likely Andy Burnham, makes in the Northern Ireland Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury will make his vision and approach for Northern Ireland will be.
“We will look at this change as an opportunity, and the Ulster Unionist Party will be engaging with the new Prime Minister and their team to put to them our vision and priorities for Northern Ireland and the Union.”
Countryside calls for urgent reset in wake of Keir Starmer resignation statement
Earlier this morning (22nd June), Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation, following growing calls from within the Parliamentary Labour Party for him to set a timeline for his departure.
For the past two years Starmer has stood at the helm of government following his landslide victory in July 2024, that saw his party make numerous gains in rural areas, resulting in more than 120 rural Labour MPs.
Since that point, however, there has been widespread opposition among rural communities towards many government policies and proposals that have been seen as a “war on the countryside”.
Such attacks included the Family Farm Tax, which saw tractor protests take place across the country, huge hikes to business rates for rural pubs, plans to restrict game shooting, and the controversial proposal to ban trail hunting, which just last week saw a mass crowd protest outside the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) offices in Westminster.
Rural campaigners have now warned that whoever succeeds Sir Keir as Prime Minister, which looks increasingly likely to be Andy Burnham, must urgently reset relations between government and countryside, and end the “culture war on the countryside”.
Tim Bonner, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: “This was undoubtedly a hard decision for the Prime Minister to make and we wish him and his family well for the future.
“After 14 years of his party being politically irrelevant in the countryside, Keir Starmer pledged to renew ‘the bond of respect’ between the countryside and politicians.
“Many rural voters gave him the benefit of the doubt and the result was a record number of Labour MPs representing rural constituencies, some for the first time in history.
“But sadly, shortly after taking office, Sir Keir’s government launched an astonishing attack on the countryside with the implementation of the family farm tax.
“The policy has caused untold pain and anxiety for farmers. It was, plainly, bad politics. We’ve seen taxes on rural businesses and toxic culture war policies including a ban on trail hunting and a clamp down on game shooting, all of which will further harm an already fragile rural economy.
“The government will soon look very different and there will be plenty of time for ministers to consider a change of course. ‘Change’ does not start with culture war on the countryside and a return to the mistakes of the past.
“We stand ready to work with the next government to achieve the very best for our countryside.”
