Keir Starmer wrapped up his final Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) session in the lower house of the U.K. Parliament on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) with an emotional farewell and standing ovation from the government benches.

The 63-year-old Labour MP, who announced his resignation last month and has been serving as caretaker until the party leader is elected, said he was leaving Britain in a better place than he found it and expressed “wholehearted support” for his successor.

Andy Burnham, the former Mayor of Greater Manchester, is on course to take charge as the new British Prime Minister next week after being endorsed by a resounding 349 Labour MPs in the leadership race.

“I’m proud to leave this country in a better shape than I found it; I am proud of everything that we have achieved,” Mr. Starmer told MPs in the House of Commons as he concluded PMQs with “goodbye.”

“Every Prime Minister knows when they take up the torch that the day will come when they have to pass it on. That day has come for me. This is the end of my political journey. In six years, we went from a historic defeat in 2019 to a historic victory in 2024,” he said.

During a largely good-natured final parliamentary clash across the despatch box, Mr. Starmer reflected upon his legacy as someone who had “picked up” the Labour Party from electoral oblivion to win a “landslide” general election in July 2024.

Alluding to the crucial England World Cup football semi-final fixture against Argentina later on Wednesday (July 15), he said: “For my successor and for the England team, I won’t give advice. I will simply give my wholehearted support.

“Just for the record, I don’t care what the score is tonight, as long as we win.” Pressed by the Opposition Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, the outgoing PM said he would save any words of advice for private interactions with the incoming Labour leader.

“I will give my wholehearted support to my successor. I want this Labour government to be a success; I want our country to be a success. I shall give my support privately if asked for, not publicly when not asked for,” he said.

After an initial phase of popularity, Mr. Starmer was hit by some controversial decision-making and policy U-turns, which intensified an internal rebellion within the Labour ranks as MPs demanded speedier action on the country’s cost-of-living crisis.

On June 22, he took to the steps of Downing Street to say that he accepted his party’s demands “with good grace” and would resign to “ensure an orderly handover of power.” Mr. Burnham, who returned to the Parliament benches after contesting a by-election in Makerfield last month, emerged as the frontrunner for the top job ever and is all set to be elected as the new Labour leader unopposed after the nominations process formally closes on Thursday (July 16).

On Monday (July 13), Mr. Starmer is expected to formally tender his resignation during an audience with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, followed by Mr. Burnham being invited by the monarch to form the new government.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, announced his resignation on Monday (June 22, 2026), with a timetable of his expected departure from power, in a televised address from 10 Downing Street in London.

His resignation comes on the heels of his visit to the U.S. as part of the G7 Summit and discussions with leaders about the future of the wider crisis in West Asia.

Mr. Starmer is now the thirteenth Prime Minister to resign in the U.K.’s history and the sixth after the country separated from the EU, a process acronymed as Brexit. Other names of leaders who resigned include Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, and Liz Truss. 

Here’s a list of the PMs who have resigned in the U.K. since its separation from the European Union. 

Keir Starmer

Mr. Starmer took office on July 5, 2024 and is expected to be the caretaker Prime Minister of the UK until a new PM is elected in the country. His resignation comes after months of internal turmoil within the Labour Party.

Rishi Sunak 

Indian-origin Rishi Sunak took office on October 24, 2022 and resigned from power in 2024, following the plummeting popularity numbers of the Conservative Party. His links to India and his parental links to other parts of the world made him vastly popular amongst the Indian diaspora until his popularity declined, leading to his resignation.

Liz Truss 

Liz Truss became the Prime Minister of the UK on September 5, 2022 and left office on October 24, 2022. She became the shortest-serving PM of the country and served for just 49 days due to a governmental crisis within the nation’s polity and the Conservative Party. Social media remembers Ms. Truss after a newspaper compared her tenure to that of a cabbage rotting.

Boris Johnson 

Boris Johnson served as the  U.K. PM and leader of the Conservative Party from July 24, 2019, to September 6, 2022. He stepped down from power following a mass rebellion within his own government. His tenure saw multiple scandals, including what is called ‘Party Gate’.

Theresa May 

Theresa May served as the U.K. PM from July 13, 2016, to July 24, 2019 and had to resign following a rebellion from both pro-Brexit and anti-Brexit factions within the Conservative Party. 

David Cameron

David Cameron resigned from his post as PM and leader of the Conservative Party on June 24, 2016, following a referendum in which 52% of people voted to leave the European Union. He announced his resignation the next morning after championing the ‘Remain’ faction and pushing for the nation to remain within the European bloc. 

Who will be the next PM of U.K.?

The next PM of the U.K. will be determined by elections held in the coming weeks. Keir Starmer’s rival, Andy Burnham, won an important parliamentary seat in North West England on June 19, 2026, setting the stage for him to potentially vie for the top post.