It’s official. As of the 20th July 2026, Sir Keir Starmer stepped down as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party. Andy Burnham, the apparent King of the North, has taken over both positions.
For a little over two years, Starmer went from a man who oversaw a landslide Labour to one of the most unpopular leaders in recent British history. How did he go from No-Drama Starmer to Two-Tier Keir? Let’s dive in:
Labour Landslide
After Labour was returned to their lowest number of seats in the 2019 election, leader Jeremy Corbyn stepped down. Six candidates went forward, two withdrew, and the rest continued on until one won- Shadow Brexit Secretary and MP for Holborn and St. Pancras, Keir Starmer. Starmer duly stepped up to the plate as Labour Leader and Leader of the Opposition on the 4th April 2020.
Starmer was leader going into the next general election, which occurred on the 4th July 2024 (in a stroke of fun, the American presidential election was on the 5th November, an important holiday over here).
At this point, the Conservatives had been in power in some shape or form since 2010. At this point, their popularity had waned significantly. Boris Johnson, elected on a blue wave in 2019, had been pushed out in 2022 after Partygate. Partygate was a scandal in which Johnson and other senior Tories had large gatherings during COVID lockdown, a time at which such parties were not permitted. Liz Truss took over, but lasted a record short of only fifty days in office (during which she oversaw the death of Her Majesty Elizabeth II). Rishi Sunak followed, but couldn’t replicate his relative popularity as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Labour won a massive landslide during that election. You can read more about it in my article that covered it, but Labour won 411 seats, an improvement of 211. The Tories crashed down from 365 to 121. Seats that hadn’t seen a Labour MP, ever, went red. Rishi Sunak stepped down. It was a stunning victory for Starmer and his party.
Major Domestic Events and Legislation
Beyond choosing his cabinet and settling into Downing Street, the first major event of Starmer’s premiership was the State Opening of Parliament. Charles III headed the event on the 17th July 2024. Starmer set out the new premiership’s legislative agenda. The most important points included:
- Renationalising the railways
- Removing hereditary peers in the House of Lords
- Renters’ Rights Bill
- Employment Rights Bill
- Tobacco and Vapes Bill
- Digital Information and Smart Data Bill
Two weeks later, a shocking tragedy horrified the nation. In Southport, Northwestern England, a seventeen year-old named Axel Rudakunaba entered a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. Rudakunaba stabbed a dozen young girls and adults. Three died- two at the scene, one in hospital. The attack on innocent girls at a fun dance party horrified the nation. As Rudakunaba was not named, rumours spread, with some saying that he was an Arab man or boy. Under eighteens are not usually named, but they named Rudakunaba in the public interest. What followed were intense riots that were seen across the length and breadth of the country. Rudakubana was described as a ‘Welsh choir boy’ by some in the press, which has been mockingly used. He was born in Wales to Rwandan immigrant parents. Questions were raised over his parents, especially as it had since been reported that they knew about his issues and did nothing to stop it. Starmer pushed hard against the riots and over one-thousand people were arrested. Rudakunaba, being under 21, could not receive a whole life tariff, and got a minimum term of 52 years. He is unlikely to get out.
On that same day, the party put out a policy announcement that was initially buried by the shocking mass murder. Soon, however, that policy would cause problems for Labour. The Winter Fuel Allowance was introduced by Gordon Brown as a way to help pensioners pay for heating during the winter. Labour announced that they would means test the system so that only those on Pension Credit or receiving other benefits could receive it. The backlash was immediate and fierce, especially from pensioners. Other Labour MPs and those from other parties criticised it. Polling showed how unpopular it was. Whilst it was initially introduced in 2024, it was rescinded in 2025.
In September 2024, a new scheme to ease prison overcrowding was introduced, in which certain offenders would be released after serving 40% of their sentence as opposed to 50%. Some of these prisoners included violent offenders, a number of whom reoffended quite quickly. Labour said that this was the only way to ease capacity, blaming the Conservatives for over a decade of lack of investment and cuts. The Sentencing Act of 2026 cut the time served down to 33% and is still active.
Labour also reversed the Two-Child Benefit Cap, instituted under the Conservatives in 2017. Parents with more than two children could not claim benefits for any additional children. This was reversed in April 2026. The policy was popular among the left and among social conservatives who believe it’s important to have pro-natalist policies. Some on the right have criticised it as foreign and foreign-born parents are much more likely to have more than two children than native Brits. Polling showed voters are generally in favour of scrapping the cap.
A tax on family farms was a deeply controversial measure introduced in 2024. It was announced that there would be a 20% inheritance tax rate on farms worth £1M or more. Farmers and those in the agricultural sector immediately set out on mass protests, arguing that they do not make that much money. The Government then upped the number to £2.5M, or £5.65 for married couples/civil partners.
In September 2025, Starmer announced a plan for a mandatory Digital ID to prove a fight to work in the U.K. This was in response to illegal immigrants working in the country. This caused intense division. Those in favour believe that it cuts down on illegal immigration and is fine so long as you have nothing to hide. Others believe that it is a gateway to government oversight, that it will be used for more than just working and that it’s an attack on civil liberties. Even those who might not oppose it on those grounds worry about a hack that could steal people’s data. In January 2026, Starmer backed down on making it compulsory.
The Hereditary Peers Bill, as announced in the State Opening of Parliament, was approved by the government and came into law in March 2026. All hereditary peers were removed from the House of Lords, the upper chamber of the government. Twenty-six were given life peerages, but the rest were removed. Polling is generally in favour, though traditionalists did not like it.
Another rather contentious debate was on the subject of assisted dying. MP Kim Leadbeater introduced the bill in October 2024. If passed, the bill would allow adults with an estimated six months or less left to live, along with certain other conditions, to be allowed assisted suicide. The debate went on for months and months, led on the pro-side by Leadbeater and TV personality Esther Rantzen. The bill went through many stages but currently remained in the committee stage in the House of Lords. Starmer supports the idea.
The Renters Rights’ Acts has come into force across early 2026. One of the biggest rental reform acts in recent years, the act has set out a range of limitations for what landlords can and can’t do. No fault evictions are no longer permitted, and more notice is needed. Landlords and agents cannot charge any higher than the asking price, something implemented to stop bidding wars. Rent can only be increased every year and there must be advance warning. Discrimination against those with children and those on benefits is banned, and landlords must have a reason to refuse pets. Polling shows that this has been well-received, though landlords aren’t so enthused.
A National Insurance contribution increase started in April 2025, and the National Living Wage went up in April 2026. The NI increase went from 13.8% to 15%, raising the payroll. There have been concerns about businesses having to increase prices and sack staff.
Finally, we have the grooming gang scandal. From about the 1990s onward, predominantly Muslim Pakistani men and groups sexually abused and exploited predominantly white, working-class girls. There were rapes, children born from rapes, abuse and even murder. These were covered up by families, the police and the care system, a number of whom were complicit. For the last decade or so, there has been mass outrage, but the feeling that not enough has been done. In January 2025, Labour voted against a national inquiry, but the outrage saw Starmer announce that it would happen. At the time of writing, Pakistan is refusing to take a notorious grooming gang leader back from the U.K., something that Andy Burnham is pushing further for.
Foreign Policy
- Ukraine: Starmer continued the UK’s strong support for Ukraine, providing a large amount of aid.
- USA: Starmer overlapped with two American presidents: Joe Biden and Donald Trump. He was already visiting Biden at the White House not a week into his premiership. The two men held similar political views and seemed to have got along quite well. His relationship with Trump was less steadfast, alternating between cordiality and dislike, with the American president critical of the UK’s decision not to be too involved in Iran.
- Israel and Palestine: Starmer has had a varied relationship with Israel and Palestine in the wake of the 2023 attacks. He had generally stated support for Israel’s right to exist and to respond to threats, but has also criticised their actions in Palestine. Meanwhile, he officially recognised the State of Palestine in September 2025. He also stated that Hamas should have no involvement in the future of the state. There has been criticism from the left of the party regarding Labour’s Palestine stance, and support from Muslim voters has gone from Labour to the Greens and independent candidates.
- Iran: Starmer has generally stayed out of the Iran War, much to the chagrin of the United States. British bases have been used for defensive strikes, and Cyprus’ RAF Akrotiri was the subject of attacks.
- Chagos Islands: It was announced by the government that they would be striking a deal to give the Chagos Islands, which includes the important military base of Diego Garcia, up to Mauritius. The UK would set up a fund and lease Diego Garcia. The decision sparked uproar, not least among the Chagossian people. As a US base is present, the agreement of America is needed- and Trump does not seem to support it at the moment, leaving the deal hanging in the air.
By-Elections
Five by-elections have been held since Starmer came to office.
Runcorn and Helsby
- 1st May 2025
- Previous MP: Mike Amesbury (Labour)
- Reason: Assault conviction
- New MP: Sarah Pochin (Reform)
- Previous Majority: 14,696
- New Majority: Six
Mike Amesbury, MP for the constituency, was given a suspended sentence following an assault on a constituent. This meant that he could be subject to a recall petition, so he decided to step down. A by-election was announced. The seat is a primary working-class, vast majority white one, a seat typically held by Labour but one that could be snatched up by Reform. All major parties stood for the seat, as well as a number of independents and smaller parties. In the end, Reform’s Sarah Pochin managed to win by an eye-wateringly tight six votes, overturning a Labour lead of 14,696. The seat had Labour for fifty-years, and was a shocking loss for Labour and stunning victory for Reform.
Gorton and Denton
- 26th February 2026
- Previous MP: Andrew Gwynne (Labour)
- Reason: Ill health and losing the whip
- New MP: Hannah Spencer (Green)
- Previous Majority: 13,413
- New Majority: 4,402
This was one people were focusing on. MP Andrew Gwynn had lost the whip following offensive messages he sent, and thus resigned for ‘health reasons.’ Gorton and Denton is a generally working-class seat with a sizeable Muslim population, and is part of Greater Manchester. With Labour unpopular with Muslims due to their stance on Palestine, it was a great opportunity for an independent or a Green to take the seat. Reform also felt like they had a chance, as there is a large white, working-class voter base in the seat. On the day, the Greens turned a 13,413 Labour majority into a 4,402 one for themselves. Labour were relegated to third behind the Greens and Reform. It was a great coup for the Green Party, whilst Labour were once again on the back foot. Andy Burnham was refused permission to run for this seat.
Aberdeen South
- 18th June 2026
- Previous MP: Stephen Flynn (SNP)
- Reason: Became MSP
- New MP: Douglas Lumsden (Conservative)
- Previous Majority: 3,758
- New Majority: 6,050
This was one of three by-elections held on this day. The previous MP became an MSP, necessitating a by-election. As the gas and oil industry is extremely important in Aberdeen, there was a good chance that the SNP could lose this one. They did, and the Conservatives nearly doubled the majority from last time. This is the first Tory Scottish by-election victory since 1967, and was a coup for the struggling party.
Arbroath and Broughty Ferry
- 18th June 2026
- Previous MP: Stephen Gethins (SNP)
- Reason: Became MSP
- New MP: Lara Bird (SNP)
- Previous Majority: 859
- New Majority: 5,278
This was one of three by-elections held on this date. Previous MP Stephen Gethins had become a Member of the Scottish Parliament, thus necessitating a by-election. As expected, the SNP won the seat again.
Makerfield
- 18th June 2026
- Previous MP: Josh Simons (Labour)
- Reason: To make way for Andy Burnham
- New MP: Andy Burnham (Labour)
- Previous Majority: 5,399
- New Majority: 9,231
This was one of the three by-elections held on this date, and undoubtedly the largest. With Starmer’s unpopularity clear, many wanted Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham in as leader and PM, but that couldn’t happen unless he was an MP. In order to make this happen, Josh Simons took one for the metaphorical team and stepped down. After not being allowed to contest Gorton and Denton, Burnham was given permission to run for Makerfield. It was considered a potential Reform seat, and both parties put great effort into it. In the end, it was a resounding victory for Burnham, who saw Labour’s lead almost double. He got more votes than any other candidate, combined. The dye was cast. Starmer resigned- more on that later.
Council Elections
- 2025: The first council elections under a Starmer government were in May 2025 and were only held in England. It was a grand victory for Reform, who won 677 seats and controlled ten councils. Meanwhile, Labour lost nearly ten times that number, and the Conservatives were also bruised.
- 2026: I wrote about it here, but in short: it wasn’t great for Labour. The Reforms gained massively, it was a good night for Plaid Cymru, the Lib Dems did well enough, the Greens failed to perform as expected, the SNP lost a few seats and the Conservatives also did poorly. Labour, however, did worse than expected. These council elections were the start of Starmer’s downfall.
Labour and Personal Scandals
One of the earliest scandals for Labour and Keir Starmer came in August 2024, when it emerged that they had been the recipients of a number of gifts and freebies. Singer Taylor Swift had been given special protection by the Metropolitan Police in London during her concert stay, said to be as a result of the foiled terror plot against one of her performances in Vienna. This had initially been denied, but later approved. It turned out that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and a number of other politicians, including Starmer, had been given expensive free tickets to the sold-out concert. This had been preceded by the revelation that wealthy peer Lord Alli had been given unrestricted access to Downing Street, having given Starmer, Lady Starmer and Angela Rayner expensive clothes. It soon turned out that Starmer had accepted more free gifts than any other MP and had accepted accommodation during the strict COVID lockdown so his son could study for his exams.
Secretary for Transport Louise Haigh stepped down from her ministerial position in November 2024, following the revelation that she had pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation a decade earlier.
In April 2025, an arrest warrant was issued by Bangladesh for MP Tulip Siddiq. Her aunt is the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and Siddiq is said to have illegally received land from her. Siddiq quit her ministerial roles and has been charged in absentia, though it’s very unlikely that she will be extradited.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner found herself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons in late summer 2025. Rayner had underpaid stamp duty on a flat in Hove, East Sussex and had a convoluted property arrangement involving her ex-husband and her disabled son. She had declared Hove as her primary residence, which was untrue, and this soon came out. Rayner was forced to resign all of her ministerial posts.
Perhaps the biggest and most damaging scandal of all involves Lord Mandelson, famed former MP and communications extraordinaire. In December 2024, Mandelson was named Ambassador to the United States, as it was believed that his experience would help when working with President Trump. Less than a year later, in September 2025, Mandelson was dismissed after it was revealed that he had a very close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson was arrested in February 2026. Soon, it transpired that security vetting had recommended against Mandelson getting clearance, but that government had overruled them and pushed ahead anyway.
Starmer’s Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney resigned, but it was soon discovered that his phone had been mysteriously stolen in October. Whilst McSweeney had reported it, he’d given the wrong information to the police. Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Olly Robbins was then dismissed due to his role. Robbins denied his involvement in a scathing committee appearance and has sought a judicial review of his dismissal, believing himself to be a scapegoat.
Downfall
No one particular factor can be pinpointed as the exact cause of Keir Starmer’s downfall. The Mandelson scandal may well have been part of the reason as to why Labour so drastically underperformed in the local elections. It certainly didn’t help the stability of the government. Following this, Health Secretary and potential leadership candidate Wes Streeting left his role, and a number of junior ministers did the same. Secretary of Defence John Healey soon resigned, saying that he believed that the government was not doing the right thing regarding military and defence spending.
The real catalyst came earlier, when Josh Simons, MP for Makerfield, resigned in order to clear the way for Andy Burnham. Nobody knew if Burnham would win, but it was widely acknowledged that it would likely be curtains for Starmer if this happened. Of course, it did. Four days later, Sir Keir Starmer stood in front of Downing Street and announced that he would resign. In one last cruel twist for Starmer, President Donald Trump announced this first.
Burnham received the nomination of 379 MPs, 94% of the vote. The only other challenger was Catherine West, who had been the first to call for Starmer’s resignation, who got 0.2% of the vote with one backer. It didn’t matter anyway, Burnham had cleared the threshold and then some.
On the 17th July, Burnham became Leader of the Labour Party. On the 22nd July, he became Prime Minister.
Legacy
Supporters of Starmer’s premiership will cite lower net migration, lower NHS wait times, the Renters’ Rights Act, free Breakfast Clubs and Great British Energy as his victories. Critics will charge that net migration was lower because more people are leaving, and that expensive energy, the Chagos Islands deal, the Winter Fuel debate and Mandelson as negatives. Starmer’s election saw an end to fourteen years of rule, and promised to be a Warren G. Harding ‘return to normalcy.’ After 2022 was the year of the three Prime Ministers, it was hoped that Starmer might last a whole election season- but that seemed too much to ask.
Some people will say Starmer was good. Some people will say that he wasn’t that bad. Some people will say that he was a disaster. Time will tell as to what his legacy will be. Did he last long enough to have a legacy? He probably won’t rank amongst the greats, but he probably won’t rank amongst the worse either.
Starmer is seen as a bit of an empty suit, lacking the gravitas of Boris Johnson, a man who also brought his party in on a landslide but also fell down. Andy Burnham, who is following him, is seen as having a bit more about him. Was he an empty suit, or was he simply a sensible man who was a steady pair of hands? Furthermore, how can we have yet another PM who was only voted on by four-hundred MPs? It is the parliamentary system, but at least other PMs have been chosen by their party too. Nevertheless, the system, for good or for ill, had booted Starmer out and brought Burnham in.
As we usher in a new age, there is already betting on who the next Labour PM will be. Still, let us sit for a while as we remember Keir Starmer and welcome Andy Burnham. Let’s hope that Prime Minister No. 59 will be the one.
