Former British PM Starmer steps down from Parliament

LONDON – Former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is leaving British politics after deciding to step down as a member of Parliament.Starmer told his local newspaper, the Camden New Journal, that it is the “right time” to leave the House of Commons after 11 years in Westminster.His constituency, Holborn and St Pancras in London, is now expected to hold a special election and could provide an opportunity for the left-wing Greens. A spokesperson for the party said its leader Zack Polanski had always wanted to be an MP in London.Starmer, who was the public sector’s top lawyer as director of public prosecutions before becoming an MP in 2015, led the Labour party from 2019 to 2026.He won a landslide general election victory in 2024 but was unable to hold on to the public’s goodwill and announced he was stepping down in June after a collapse in poll ratings. He was replaced by Andy Burnham.The parliamentary by-election, as it is known in Britain, will be the sixth in 2026. Holborn and St Pancras is a Labour stronghold which Starmer won by 11,572 votes in 2024, yet one-off elections can produce volatile results as voters know they will not affect the overall make-up of the government.Camden Council, part of Starmer’s constituency, lost 17 seats in the local elections held in May as the Greens gained 10. Labour retained control of the council, however.In a post on X, Starmer said it had been “an honour” to represent the constituency but that he now wanted to “focus on other issues: international affairs including defence, security, trade and technology in a fast-changing world”.He said he would continue to work with others to tackle violence against women and girls. He described his successes as prime minister, saying Labour “stabilised the economy, rebuilt public services” and transformed Britain’s reputation overseas.Other by-elections in 2026 include Makerfield in which Burnham returned to Parliament in order to replace Starmer as prime minister, and Clacton in August which Reform UK held after Nigel Farage stepped down in order to stand again. BLOOMBERG