Keir Starmer quits as UK turmoil claims sixth prime minister in a decade

London,UPDATED: Jun 22, 2026 19:48 IST

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that he is stepping down, becoming the sixth person in a decade to deliver a farewell speech outside 10 Downing Street amid continued political turbulence in the UK.

Starmer had come to power in 2024 with a landslide win for Labour, promising stability, economic growth and an end to the years of political chaos under the Conservative Party. Less than two years later, he was forced to quit after his popularity fell sharply and his government struggled to deliver on its promise to “rebuild Britain”.

The rapid turnover of prime ministers began in 2016 with David Cameron, who resigned a day after British voters backed leaving the European Union in a referendum he had campaigned hard against. Cameron had called the vote in an attempt to settle long-running divisions within his party over Britain’s relationship with Europe.

Theresa May succeeded him and served until May 2019, but her three-year effort to take Britain out of the EU ended in failure. Although she secured a divorce deal with the bloc, it was rejected three times in Parliament by both pro-EU opposition lawmakers and Brexit-supporting Conservatives who believed it kept Britain too closely tied to the EU. “I have done my best,” May said at the time.

Boris Johnson then led Britain through its formal exit from the EU and the COVID-19 pandemic, but his tenure ended in 2022 after a series of ethics scandals. Allegations mounted that he was too close to party donors, shielded supporters from bullying and corruption claims, and misled Parliament over office parties held during pandemic lockdowns. He eventually had to step down after dozens of officials and allies resigned from the government.

Liz Truss followed Johnson but lasted only six weeks, making her Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister. She had promised to shake up the economy with a small-government, free-market approach, but her stimulus plan, including steep tax cuts, triggered economic and political turmoil and cost her support within the Conservative Party.

Rishi Sunak took over in 2022 after winning the backing of Conservative lawmakers. He had promised to bring down inflation, reduce public healthcare backlogs and stop migrants from entering the UK illegally. But he failed to improve the party’s standing in opinion polls and resigned in 2024 after the Conservatives suffered the worst defeat in their two-century history.

Starmer became Britain’s first Labour prime minister in 14 years after his 2024 election victory, with pledges to rebuild the economy, repair strained public services and restore trust in politics. Close to two years later, he said his party does not believe he is “best placed to lead us into the next general election”, bringing to a close another short chapter in a turbulent period in British politics.

With PTI Inputs

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