Speaking in Downing Street, Sir Keir said he accepted he was not best placed to lead Labour into the next general election and he had informed the King of his decision to step down.
Sir Keir added he has asked Labour’s governing body to set out a timetable to replace him, with nominations opening on 9 July and ending by the summer recess on 16 July.
He said if there was a contest then a new leader would be in place before Parliament returns in September, and he will “do everything” he can to ensure an “orderly” transition of power.
Sir Keir said he would remain as prime minister until the leadership contest is complete.
He added he would also give his successor “my full and unequivocal support, knowing that they will inherit a Britain that is far stronger and fairer than the one I inherited two years ago”.
Andy Burnham is regarded by many as the frontrunner to replace Sir Keir after he secured an emphatic win over his Reform UK rival in last week’s Makerfield by-election.
Burnham announced on Monday that he would put himself forward as a candidate in the leadership contest, before he boarded a train to London to take his parliamentary seat.
His chances were given an immediate boost by former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who had been viewed as his main rival, offering his backing to the former Greater Manchester mayor.
Former Armed Forces Minister Al Carns, who has been touted as a possible leadership contender, told ITV’s Robert Peston on Monday evening that he was “not ready to make a decision”.
Speaking to the BBC as he arrived at Euston station, Burnham praised Sir Keir’s “dedication and service”.
Asked if he would call a general election in the event that he became prime minister, he replied: “You’re jumping several hurdles ahead. My priority is to be sworn in as the MP for Makerfield.”
On being formally sworn in as an MP in the House of Commons, Burnham was greeted by loud cheers from Labour benches and a few heckles from the opposition, with one MP shouting: “He’s not the messiah.”
After taking his seat, he joined around 200 Labour MPs in Westminster Hall to take a group selfie.
Burnham is expected to give a speech next week pledging to grow the economy if he becomes PM, while also sticking to the government’s fiscal rules.
His allies say he is yet to decide who would be his chancellor, with one source saying: “No jobs have been given and no deals made.”
PA MediaSir Keir was elected leader of the Labour Party in April 2020 and became prime minister on 5 July 2024 following Labour’s landslide general election victory.
He will leave Downing Street as the shortest-serving Labour prime minister in history.
His period in office will last longer than his Conservative predecessors Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss but behind all six previous Labour prime ministers.
Sir Keir’s decision to step down also means the UK will soon have its seventh prime minister since 2016.
Speaking at a lectern in Downing Street, Sir Keir said his party had asked “whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election”.
He said: “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.”
Sir Keir was accompanied by his wife, Victoria, as he walked out to deliver his resignation speech at 09:30 BST in the blazing sunshine.
Watched by his supporters, colleagues and No 10 staff, Sir Keir’s voice cracked with emotion as he spoke of what his focus will be on next.
He said: “When I leave the biggest job in the country, I shall spend more time on the most important job: being the best husband I can to my fantastic wife Vic, who has been a rock by my side through good times and bad; and being the best dad I can to my beautiful children, who are my pride and my joy.”
The sound of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy could be heard playing in the background as Sir Keir delivered his speech, with the EU anthem being played by a protester.
Sir Keir once described it as the piece of music that best “sums up” his party, telling Classic FM in 2023 that the symphony had a “sense of destiny and is hugely optimistic… it’s that sense of moving forward to a better place”.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves paid tribute to Sir Keir for helping to “build a stronger, more secure Britain”, saying the pair had “achieved a lot together to be proud of, and there is more to do”.
Former Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said “history will remember not just the challenges he faced but the achievements he oversaw”, as she pointed to reforms to employment and leasehold legislation.
BBC
