Keir Starmer quits as MP with by-election to be triggered for his seat – weeks after standing down as Prime Minister

SIR Keir Starmer is quitting as an MP – triggering a by-election battle in London. The former PM said it was the “right time” to leave Parliament after 11 years representing Holborn and St Pancras. Sir Keir Starmer was first elected to the Commons in 2015 after previously serving as Director of Public Prosecutions Credit: Reuters Sir Keir left Downing Street at the end of July Credit: AP Photo/Thomas Krych Sir Keir, who left Downing Street at the end of July, said he was ready to “pass the baton to a successor” and focus on a new career on the international stage. He plans to work on defence, security, trade and technology as well as continuing his campaign against violence towards women and girls. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! Sir Keir has already informed his local Labour constituency party of his decision, with the party now starting the process of selecting a candidate to replace him. Sir Keir told the Camden New Journal: “It has been a huge honour and privilege to represent the best constituency in the country and to have taken over from Frank Dobson, who was such a great constituency MP and a member of the last Labour government. “I will now focus on other things and that will be international affairs including defence, security, trade and technology in a fast-changing world. “I will also continue, as I have done for a long time now with others, work on combating violence against women and girls; that is an issue that matters to me hugely. “It’s work I started before I became an MP and it’s work I’m keen to continue after I’m an MP. “So international affairs on the one hand, and continuing my work on violence against women and girls on the other.” Most read in The Sun Sir Keir was first elected to the Commons in 2015 after previously serving as Director of Public Prosecutions. He went on to become Labour leader in 2020 after the party’s disastrous 2019 general election defeat under Jeremy Corbyn. Four years later he led Labour to a landslide victory and entered No10 as Prime Minister. But he left Downing Street at the end of July, with Andy Burnham succeeding him as PM. Sir Keir defended his record in office, telling his local newspaper: ““I’m proud of what we delivered. “I’ve achieved it by being a locally based MP with a fantastically supportive CLP. Without them, it wouldn’t be possible for me to step up and lead the Labour Party and then change the Labour Party to face the country and put it in a position to win the election and be in government.” 3 comments3