Starmer pledges support for Burnham in final Commons session as PM

Keir Starmer told MPs he would support Andy Burnham as Britain’s next prime minister, using his final Prime Minister’s Questions to close a two-year premiership marked by internal pressure and political setbacks. Al Jazeera and AFP reported that Starmer made the pledge on Wednesday as he prepared to hand over power to the former Greater Manchester mayor.

Starmer said he wanted the Labour government and the country to succeed under its next leader. “I shall give my support privately if asked for, not publicly when not asked for,” he told the House of Commons, according to Al Jazeera and AFP.

Starmer announced last month that he would resign after months of pressure following scandals, errors and policy reversals, Al Jazeera and AFP reported. His departure comes two years after he led Labour to a broad victory in the 2024 general election, ending 14 years of Conservative rule.

Burnham is expected to be named Labour leader on Friday and to formally replace Starmer on Monday, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. He secured strong backing from Labour’s 403 members of Parliament and major trade unions, and Labour’s majority in the 650-seat Commons means he will become prime minister without a general election.

Burnham, who served as mayor of Greater Manchester for nine years, is expected to meet King Charles III on Monday. Al Jazeera and AFP reported that he will be Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade.

A quieter final PMQs

Prime Minister’s Questions is usually one of Westminster’s most combative weekly events, with opposition parties pressing the government from across the chamber. Wednesday’s session was calmer than usual, though opposition leader Kemi Badenoch of the Conservative Party used the moment to fault Labour’s internal discipline.

Badenoch joked that Starmer had spent time laughing about her losing control of her party and “should have been paying attention to his backbenchers instead of mine,” according to Al Jazeera and AFP. She also warned that changing prime ministers would not automatically solve Labour’s problems or the country’s challenges.

MPs from different parties thanked Starmer for his public service and wished him well, Al Jazeera and AFP reported. Some also urged him to help ensure England beat Argentina in Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal and then defeat Spain in Sunday’s final.

As the session ended, most MPs applauded Starmer and many stood. He told the chamber he had a date with his television at 8pm for the England match, according to Al Jazeera and AFP.

Starmer described the moment as the end of his political career. “In two years in government, I leave the country in better shape than I found it,” he said, adding that he was proud of what his administration had achieved.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.