Starmer says leaving office was tough, warns Burnham on global pressures

Sir Keir Starmer said it was “really tough” to accept that his political career was over, using his first interview since quitting to warn Andy Burnham that the next prime minister will have to spend as much time on global affairs as he did in No 10.

Starmer said the decision was “intensely personal” and was taken alongside his wife and children. He also said he would “keep my mouth shut” under his successor, adding that he likes Burnham and that the two have “always got on.” Starmer resigned on 22 June 2026 after pressure mounted over Labour’s poor showing in the May local elections.

Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor, had already said he would seek to replace Starmer. He won the Makerfield by-election on 19 June 2026, returning him to Parliament as a Labour MP and putting him at the front of the pack in the leadership contest. After Starmer’s resignation, Burnham posted that the country expected “stability, seriousness” and focus on the issues that matter most.

The exchange also sharpened attention on the foreign-policy burden facing the next occupant of Downing Street. Analysts have said the leadership change leaves Britain facing uncertainty over support for Ukraine, the US-UK relationship under Donald Trump, Europe and Gaza-Israel policy. Chatham House said any potential new prime minister will face a “relentless deluge” of international issues and challenges.

Burnham has stressed domestic themes such as housing, stability and opportunities for young people, but Starmer’s warning underlined how narrow any purely home-grown agenda is likely to be. The next Labour leader will inherit a party under pressure at home and a diplomatic in-tray shaped by war, transatlantic tension and a volatile European security landscape.