Less than two years after coming to power, Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday after months of pressure, stating that he would remain in office until his successor was appointed as Labour leader.

"Every decision I have made has been aimed at putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as chairman of the Labour Party," the Prime Minister said, his voice choked with emotion, in a brief speech outside the gates of 10 Downing Street.

The unpopular prime minister had resisted calls to resign for months. But his position became untenable after the election on Thursday in Parliament of his Labour rival, Andy Burnham, who is now in a position to run for the leadership of the Labour Party and Downing Street.

"I spoke to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision. I will ask the Labour Party's National Executive Committee to establish a timetable with the opening of nominations on July 9, and their closing before the end of the summer break," on September 1, the 63-year-old leader told reporters.

"In the event of an internal election, this will ensure that a new leader is in place before Parliament resumes its work in September (...) I will do everything in my power to ensure a smooth transfer of power," he added.

Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, which has been leading in national polls for months, immediately called for new general elections. Labour retains a large majority in Parliament, and further elections are not scheduled until 2029.

- "I accept the answer" -

For Keir Starmer, this admission of failure comes less than two years after his party's landslide victory in the July 2024 general election, ending 14 years of Conservative governments.

On Monday, he touted his record on the economy, access to healthcare, and support for Ukraine. But he added that he had heard his party's message.

"The question my party is asking itself today is whether I am the best placed to lead us in the next legislative elections. I have taken note of my parliamentary group's response to this question and I accept it," he said.

Andy Burnham, the popular mayor of Greater Manchester and the frontrunner to succeed him, is due to be officially sworn in as a Member of Parliament on Monday around 2:30 pm local time. This is a crucial step for him to claim the leadership of the Labour Party and become Prime Minister.

Keir Starmer had repeated on Friday that he would fight to stay in power, but the pressure continued to mount over the weekend.

According to Sky News, senior government officials, including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, have urged him to set a date for his departure from 10 Downing Street.

More than 100 Labour MPs were calling for his resignation, roughly a quarter of the party's MPs, according to the Press Association.

Donald Trump had taken for granted the resignation of his British counterpart as early as Sunday. "Keir Starmer will resign" from his post, the American president wrote on his Truth Social platform, wishing him "the best".

With this departure, the United Kingdom is about to experience its seventh Prime Minister in ten years, an unprecedented instability in the modern history of this country.

When this former lawyer arrived at Downing Street, expectations were high after the long Conservative reign. But two years later, the United Kingdom continues to face a sluggish economy and a sharp rise in the cost of living.

Keir Starmer also made some notable mistakes, such as appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington. Nine months later, Mandelson was dismissed following revelations about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In early May, Labour suffered a crushing defeat in local elections, to the benefit of Nigel Farage's anti-immigration Reform UK party, intensifying criticism of Keir Starmer within the party.

On the contrary, Andy Burnham, 56, won on Thursday in the Makerfield constituency in northern England, with 54.8% of the vote against 34.5% for the Reform candidate.

Having become mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017 and nicknamed the "King of the North", he repeatedly stated during the campaign that he wanted to "change Labour and the country".

Although he has already been an unsuccessful candidate twice for the leadership of the Labour Party - in 2010 and 2015 - he is the most popular political figure in Britain, according to the YouGov Institute.