Keir Starmer expected to outline plan to resign as UK prime minister

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to set out a timetable for his departure on Monday, reports suggest, kickstarting a process that will see the country appoint its seventh leader in a decade.

Andy Burnham, Labour’s former Greater Manchester Mayor, is favorite to replace Starmer after winning a special election in north-west England last week that will see him return to parliament.

Following that result, Starmer had initially vowed to fight any leadership challenge.

But a heavy defeat in last month’s local elections, coupled with sustained poor opinion polling, has steadily eroded the prime minister’s authority over the ruling Labour Party.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a TruthSocial post on Sunday that Starmer will resign.

“He failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!),” Trump said in the post.