Sir Keir Starmer is to step down as an MP just weeks after resigning as UK prime minister, triggering a by-election in his London constituency.
Starmer said it had been an “honour and privilege” to represent Holborn and St Pancras, but that it was now “time to step aside”. He said he wanted to focus on other issues, including international affairs and tackling violence against women and girls.
His resignation will trigger a by-election in the north London seat, which he has represented since 2015. Before entering Parliament, Starmer served as head of the Crown Prosecution Service and was a prominent human rights lawyer.
His former housing secretary and close ally Steve Reed said Starmer was leaving “with his head held high”, praising his role in taking Labour from its worst electoral result to a landslide victory. Former business secretary Peter Kyle also praised Starmer’s record, saying he had led the party’s transformation “with grit, driven by a love of country”.
Starmer’s departure will leave former Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak as the only former premier still serving as an MP. Sunak, who was prime minister from 2022 to 2024, remains MP for Richmond in Yorkshire.
Starmer’s announcement came hours before Burnham was due to address MPs for the first time as prime minister.