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<\/a><\/p>\nUK Prime Minister Keir Starmer makes his resignation statement outside 10 Downing Street in London on June 22, 2026. (Ilyas Tayfun Salci\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Starmer announced that he was stepping down outside 10 Downing Street in the morning local time. He made the decision in the wake of mounting pressure from Labour members of Parliament and waning political support after the party\u2019s devastating losses in the May 7 local elections and the success of political rival Andy Burnham in Manchester\u2019s parliamentary election last week. <\/p>\n
Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, has emerged as the leading contender after winning a Manchester-area by-election on Friday with 55% of the vote. Burnham has sought to position himself prominently on antisemitism and relations with the Jewish community in his bid to take over from Starmer.<\/p>\n
In a post on X, Burnham thanked Starmer for his leadership and said the PM\u2019s decision to resign \u201cmarks the beginning of a transition and it is important that this process is conducted in an orderly and responsible way. I will put myself forward as part of this process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starmer confirmed he would remain on as caretaker prime minister until a successor was chosen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,\u201d he said. \u201cI have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Jewish Labour Movement thanked Starmer in a post on X, noting that two years ago he inherited the party \u201cat its lowest point\u201d from former party leader Jeremy Corbyn, when it was \u201cinstitutionally antisemitic.\u201d It added, under Starmer, \u201cour party has a clean bill of health on antisemitism.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Starmer\u2019s tenure was still met with plenty of criticism from the Jewish community over his handling of antisemitism, particularly in light of ongoing antisemitic attacks in the country. In recent months alone, four Hatzola ambulances were lit on fire; there were attempted attacks on three synagogues; two Jewish men in the Orthodox neighborhood of Golders Green were stabbed. Dozens of people have been arrested in connection with the incidents.<\/p>\n
Starmer entered office in July 2024, leading his country\u2019s thorny relationship with Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack against the Jewish and the Gaza war that followed. He angered Israel with steps such as recognizing Palestine as a state and promising to uphold the International Court of Justice\u2019s arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes.<\/p>\n
With Starmer\u2019s upcoming departure, focus has shifted to the contest to replace him, bringing renewed scrutiny to candidates\u2019 positions on antisemitism, relations with the Jewish community, and Israel.<\/p>\n
Starmer said he would give his successor his \u201cfull and unequivocal support,\u201d adding that nominations would open on July 9 and conclude before the parliamentary summer recess on July 16.<\/p>\n
Board of Deputies of British Jews President Phil Roseneberg posted on X, \u201cWhen he took on the leadership of the Labour Party the first thing @Keir_Starmer said he would do is \u2018tear out the poison of antisemitism by its roots\u2019. His subsequent actions were transformative within the Party.\u201d<\/p>\n
He praised Starmer\u2019s government for providing \u201cunprecedented security funding,\u201d and introducing legislation to proscribe the IRGC.<\/p>\n
Burnham, for his part, has spoken out against antisemitism in the wake of violence attacks. Following the October 2025 Yom Kippur attack at the Heaton Park Congregation synagogue in Manchester, in which two people were killed, Burnham said in an official release, \u201cTonight, our first thoughts are with the families of those who have died, those injured and those traumatised by this \u2013 a horrific antisemitic attack on our Jewish friends and neighbours. We condemn it outright.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also wrote in a post on X on the same day, \u201cToday we have witnessed a vile attack on our Jewish community on its holiest day. We condemn whoever is responsible and will do everything within our power to keep people safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
His positions on Israel and Gaza have also come under scrutiny. In a June 4 interview with The Guardian, Burnham did not invoke the term \u201cgenocide\u201d in relation to the war in Gaza, but did say, \u201cI can\u2019t judge things of that enormity from where I am as mayor of Greater Manchester.\u201d <\/p>\n
He added, \u201cBut I do have concerns about the disproportionate nature of what has happened in terms of the destruction, and there has to be a full process of investigation and accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n
Additionally, 10 days after the Oct. 7 attacks, Burnham called for a ceasefire in a joint statement with 10 Greater Manchester leaders. The statement read in part, \u201cWe condemn unreservedly the appalling terror attacks on innocent civilians in Israel by Hamas on 7th October.\u201d <\/p>\n
The statement also noted that Israel has the right to take \u201ctargeted action within international law\u201d to defend itself and to rescue its hostages, but added, \u201cWe also have profound concerns about the loss of thousands of innocent lives in Gaza, the displacement of many more and widespread suffering through the ongoing blockade of essential goods and services.\u201d<\/p>\n
Referencing his expected leadership bid, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the Jewish News on June 17 that Burnham had a few weeks earlier met with Jewish communal leaders in Greater Manchester.<\/p>\n
When it comes to Israel, Nandy said Burnham \u201cbelieves in justice, so he\u2019s acutely aware of the need for a safe homeland for Jewish people, you know, and the particularly unique historical reasons why Israel came into existence.\u201d<\/p>\n