Keir Starmer opens up on ‘intensely personal’ decision to quit as UK PM
Outgoing UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said his decision to resign as Labour Party leader and prime minister was an ‘intensely personal’ one, taken with his wife and children during a family weekend away at Chequers, the official country residence of the British prime minister.Speaking to the BBC in his first interview since announcing his resignation, Starmer said the decision came after careful consideration of what was best for himself, the country and the government. “I grappled with what was the best thing to do for me, for the country, for the government. In the end it became an intensely personal decision. And that’s why it was a decision taken ultimately when Vic and I were away with the kids,” Starmer said.Starmer said he reached his final decision during a family getaway at Chequers, where he spent two days with his wife Victoria and their children before making the announcement on June 22.”We just spent two days together as a family and that’s when I came to my final decision. Taking the decision that your political career is over, it is an intensely personal matter, or at least it was for me,” he said.The 63-year-old Labour leader also confirmed that he would continue to serve as the Member of Parliament for his central London constituency after leaving office but would avoid interfering in the work of his successor. “(I will be) keeping my mouth shut, rather than giving constant advice to my successor about what they should be doing,” he said.Starmer’s resignation has triggered a Labour leadership election, with former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham widely expected to succeed him.Although Burnham is seen as the frontrunner, Starmer said he would fully support whoever becomes the next Labour leader and prime minister.”I’ve never had any personal animosity towards Andy Burnham,” he said, adding that he would ‘do everything I possibly can to make sure’ the next government succeeds.Reflecting on his time in office, Starmer warned that his successor would continue to face the same international and domestic challenges.”Whoever is my successor is going to face the same global conflict. We keep saying, and it’s true, we’re in a more dangerous and volatile world than we’ve been in for probably most of my lifetime. That’s not just a phrase, that’s reality,” he said.”That’s not going to change. And the domestic challenges aren’t going to change,” he added.Responding to criticism that he spent too much time dealing with international affairs, Starmer rejected suggestions that future prime ministers could focus less on global diplomacy.Asked whether his successor could spend less time on international issues, he replied, “No, I don’t think it is possible.””There’s often this discussion – what’s the right balance between dealing with international affairs and dealing with domestic affairs? They’re one and the same thing,” he said.Starmer also defended his record as Labour leader, saying his years rebuilding the party before the 2024 general election formed a key part of his political legacy.”The Labour Party arguably could have been lost, but I stepped up as leader and with others we saved the Labour Party,” he said.He described Labour as being ‘politically, financially and morally bankrupt’ when he became leader and said rebuilding it had been ‘hard and bloody work.’However, Starmer acknowledged that he stepped down because Labour MPs no longer believed he was the right person to lead the party into the next general election.Despite leaving office, he said he planned to remain in Parliament until at least the next general election.
