Starmer bids MPs goodbye as British PM and pledges to support his successor

Keir Starmer delivered an emotional farewell to the House of Commons during his final Prime Minister's Questions session, committing to provide private support to his successor Andy Burnham. Starmer announced his resignation last month following sustained pressure to step down after a series of scandals, policy reversals, and missteps that undermined his administration despite leading Labour to a decisive victory in the 2024 general election after 14 years in opposition.

Burnham is expected to be formally named Labour leader on Friday before officially replacing Starmer on Monday. He secured overwhelming backing from the party's 403 MPs and major trade unions. Labour's comfortable parliamentary majority in the 650-seat House of Commons ensures Burnham will automatically become the next prime minister upon his election as party leader.

During the weekly PMQs session, MPs from all parties extended well-wishes to Starmer, thanking him for his public service and offering congratulations on his tenure. The typically contentious parliamentary exchange was notably gentler than usual, though Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch delivered some pointed remarks, joking that Starmer had spent considerable time laughing at her loss of party control while failing to manage his own backbenchers. She cautioned that changing prime ministers would not solve fundamental national problems and that Labour's difficulties may only be beginning.

Burnham, who served as mayor of Greater Manchester for nine years, will become the seventh British prime minister in ten years. He is scheduled to meet King Charles III on Monday. Most MPs applauded Starmer, with many providing standing ovations as he departed the parliament floor, stating he had a television appointment at 8pm for the World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina.

Starmer concluded his remarks by declaring his political journey complete, asserting that he leaves the country in better condition than he found it and expressing pride in his government's achievements during two years in office.