Key facts
- Keir Starmer resigned as UK Prime Minister on Monday.
- He led the Labour Party to a landslide victory in the July 2024 general election.
- Starmer's approval ratings plummeted during his tenure, reaching record lows.
- Critics cited a lack of clear direction and poor communication as contributing factors to his downfall.
Keir Starmer has resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, two years after leading the Labour Party to a significant electoral victory. Starmer announced his resignation on Monday, stating that his decisions had been made with the country's best interests at heart.
Starmer's Labour Party secured a landslide win in the July 2024 general election, gaining 411 seats in the House of Commons for a majority of 174. This was the third-highest seat total in Labour's history. However, the victory was achieved with only a 34 percent share of the vote, a sign of potential underlying challenges.
Despite the electoral success, Starmer's popularity as Prime Minister rapidly declined. Polling by Ipsos indicated that his net satisfaction rating fell to minus 66, the lowest recorded for any Prime Minister since 1977. This figure remained persistently low throughout his premiership. For comparison, his predecessor Liz Truss's lowest rating was minus 51.
Political analysts and pollsters have pointed to several reasons for Starmer's downfall. Professor John Curtice noted that Starmer "did not define what he believed in and what the Labour Party believed in," lacking a clear narrative or long-term objectives. Tim Bale described Starmer as a "poor communicator who messed up his first few months in office" and lacked a vision to inspire.
Starmer became Prime Minister at a difficult juncture for the UK, following over a decade of Conservative governance. The country was facing a cost of living crisis and strained government finances. Labour has historically struggled to shake off an image of economic recklessness, a perception Starmer's government aimed to counter.