Burnham Looks Set to Replace Starmer as UK PM
The UK is set to get its seventh prime minister in the last decade as Keir Starmer steps down. Newly-elected MP and former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham looks set to be his replacement.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Resigns: Leadership Shift in British Politics
REPORTER:
As UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer steps out to a podium in front of 10 Downing Street, he’s welcomed with cheers. But polling shows Starmer’s popularity has cratered since his landslide election two years ago. As of June 15, YouGov says 74% of British adults think he’s doing badly. This is his resignation speech.
Keir Starmer (UK PRIME MINISTER):
Every decision I've taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as Leader of the Labour Party. I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision.
REPORTER:
Some analysts say a lack of direction is one factor that doomed his leadership.
Tony Travers (LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS):
It wasn't clear what he stood for, how all the government's policies added together. And he's become incredibly unpopular in the polls and Labour with him.
REPORTER:
While others say that despite his missteps, Starmer’s downfall is part of a pattern, with challenges like Brexit, COVID, scandals and energy spikes creating political instability. Starmer’s successor will be the seventh leader in a decade.
Alistair Smout (UK CORRESPONDENT, REUTERS):
And so it's all added up to an ecosystem of a Britain where it's been very hard for prime ministers to retain their grip on power, even if they have substantial parliamentary majorities like Keir Starmer does.
REPORTER:
Starmer is going out with a plan. Nominations for his replacement open on July 9, with the expectation that a new Labour leader—and therefore prime minister—will be in place by the time Parliament reconvenes in September. There’s already a frontrunner: newly elected MP and former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
But some in the British opposition are not all that excited about Starmer’s road map.
Kemi Badenoch (CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER):
Well, we need to ask why he set out this timetable. What are we waiting for? There are critical decisions that need to be made, and the Prime Minister is setting out his farewell tour, while Andy Burnham wants a summer holiday. It's really, really important that we ensure that the country is being governed.
REPORTER:
Reform UK, a minority populist party, says the next prime minister needs to have a democratic mandate beyond the Labour party.
Nigel Farage (REFORM UK PARTY LEADER):
Whoever becomes the prime minister will not have been voted for by the British public. And if the next prime minister is the new MP for Makerfield, Andy Burnham, he didn't even stand at the last election on any manifesto at all.
REPORTER:
But despite a range of views about what’s to come, the succession for Burnham looks—for now—to be set. He says he’s publicly focused on his constituency and he’s downplaying any further ambitions. When asked if he’d call a general election, this is what he says.
Andy Burnham (UK MP (LABOUR)):
I think you're jumping several hurdles out there. My priority today is to become sworn in as the mayor and as the MP for Makerfield, and it's been very kind of sad for me today to leave Greater Manchester.
REPORTER:
But analysts expect Burnham could be Prime Minister within weeks. And while he’s not set out a policy platform, including foreign policy, his record suggests he could bring the UK closer to China. As Manchester mayor, he led a trade mission to China where he admired the country’s high-speed rail prowess.
REPORTER:
The question is whether this seasoned politician from England’s north has what it takes to make it in London in an era when few who make it to the top stay in power for long.
John Su and John Van Trieste for TaiwanPlus.
