Keir Starmer’s efforts to rebuild bridges with the EU, after six hostile Conservative PMs, will be one of the defining legacies of his time at Number 10. But what can we expect from his successor?
Gaia Neiman
The British prime minister that hoped to reset Brexit has stepped down, potentially halting momentum that had been steadily pushing to re-build bridges between London and Brussels
Keir Starmer announced his intention to resign as prime minister on Monday (22 June) amid growing panic in the governing Labour party about his government’s low opinion poll ratings.
He is almost certain to be succeeded by Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Manchester who returned to the House of Commons after winning a by-election last week.
The by-election in Makerfield, which Burnham won decisively by more than 9,000 votes, was pitched as a referendum on Starmer’s leadership. Burnham said that, if elected, he would immediately challenge for the premiership.
After a historic win in the 2024 election, Starmer had come to power on promises to undo Brexit’s “deep damage to our economy” and to tightening links with the EU on trade and mobility, with such efforts at the core of the legacy he’ll leave behind.
Summit looms – but for Starmer or Burnham?
“This Labour government will be defined by rebuilding our relationship with Europe,” Starmer told the press last month in the lead-up to what is expected to be a significant summit for UK-EU relations in Brussels on 22 July.
