Starmer bids UK MPs ‘goodbye’, vows to support Burnham

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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer

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Outgoing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday pledged his “wholehearted support” to his successor as he prepares to hand over to premier-in-waiting Andy Burnham.

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Facing his last weekly grilling from MPs in parliament, Starmer said he wanted to see the next leader of his centre-left Labour party succeed.

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“I will give my wholehearted support to my successor. I want this Labour government to be a success,” he said, when asked what advice he had for his successor.

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“I want our country to be a success. I shall give my support privately if asked for, not publicly when not asked for.”

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Starmer announced his resignation last month, bowing to months of pressure to step down after a series of scandals, missteps and policy U-turns. They blighted his two-year tenure, after he led his party to victory in 2024 elections following 14 years in opposition.

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Burnham is expected to be crowned Labour’s leader on Friday after securing overwhelming support from the party’s 403 MPs and the backing of major trade unions.

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The party’s comfortable majority in the 650-seat House of Commons means he will automatically become the next prime minister.

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On Wednesday, the usual bad-tempered jibes and angry exchanges witnessed in the political theatre of the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions, were replaced by gentle ribbing. Starmer was also relaxed, joking with his political foes.

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MPs from all parties wished Starmer well, thanking him for his public service and calling on him to ensure that England wins Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final showdown against Argentina and go on to beat Spain in the final on Sunday.

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– No silver bullet –

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Even opposition party Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch softened her tone, but could not stop herself from remarking: “He spent a long time laughing that I’d lost control of my party. I think he should have been paying attention to his backbenchers instead of mine”.

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But she warned: “Changing prime minister is not a silver bullet. Indeed, it may be that the Labour Party’s troubles are only just beginning.”

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“Solving the fundamental problems in this country will require difficult decisions,” she added.

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Burnham is to replace Starmer on Monday, shortly after he is expected to meet King Charles III to be asked to form the next government.

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He will become Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade.

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MPs broke into a loud round of applause as fervent football fan Starmer wished them an emphatic “Goodbye” from the despatch box in the middle of the parliament floor, saying he had a date with his television at 8:00pm (1900 GMT) for the World Cup match.

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“This is the end of my political journey,” he said, although he plans to stay on as an MP for the time being.

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“In two years in government, I leave the country in better shape than I found it. I am proud of everything that we have achieved.”

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Sitting next to him finance minister Rachel Reeves, who seems set to lose her job in the next cabinet, was in tears.

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