British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces resignation

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces resignation: Keir Starmer announced Monday that he is resigning as leader of the ruling Labour Party and will also step down as prime minister. He has faced mounting pressure for weeks after Labour suffered a disappointing round of local elections in early May, and the situation escalated when Labour rival Andy Burnham made clear he would challenge him for the job. Starmer had previously vowed to stay, but more colleagues concluded his time was up. Burnham’s departure from the mayor role and his election last week as a Member of Parliament helped speed the timetable, since prime ministers are selected from sitting Commons members. Starmer said he would resign as Labour leader and offered “full and unequivocal support” to his successor. If Labour unites without a contest, he could be gone by July; otherwise, leadership would be decided by lawmakers’ return in September.