Keir Starmer says ‘my work is done’ as he resigns as UK PM

The UK will have a new Prime Minister on Monday. The new Labour leader, Andy Burnham, will succeed Keir Starmer. In fact, we understand. We're looking at live pictures. He's about to give his farewell speech that will make Andy Burnham become the seventh Prime Minister in just 10 years. Let's listen in to what Keir Starmer has to say. Thank you very much and good morning. I'm about to visit His Majesty the King to offer my resignation and close the book on my time as Prime Minister. My work is done. In six and a half years I took our party from a historic defeat in 2019, changed it so it was fit to face the country and won a landslide general election victory in 2024. Since then it has been the privilege of my life to serve you and this great country as Prime Minister and I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago. Our economy is stronger. Our public services are on the up with the biggest fall in waiting times for 17 years. Children are being lifted out of poverty every single day. Immigration is down significantly. Our defence and security are on a far stronger footing and our international reputation is greatly enhanced. Yet the thing I will always take away with me, the most humbling aspect of this job, is the front row seat you get to witness the greatest things of this country in action. To see every day immeasurable acts of resolve, grit, decency and compassion from people who serve our country, whether that's in their regimental colours, NHS scrubs or simply the millions of people in their communities who volunteer their time and their effort to the ground beneath their feet. We face a world now where our enemies will stop at nothing to divide us because of our values, our freedom, our decency and frankly because of our unflinching resolve towards the brave people of Ukraine. And so under this attack it is vital that we remember the greatness of the Britain all around us, that while we debate how to fix our problems there is something we inherit from our country and our character that can give us confidence, that we can change our country for the better, that we can create a Britain where every child can go as far as their talent will take them and we can unite different people under our common flag if we don't succumb to that division. So as I now pass the baton to Andy Burnham I wish him every success, he has my full support and finally I want to thank once again my family, Vic and our children, my team, all the staff here and across the Labour Party, everyone at number 10 and across the civil service and everyone who has supported our efforts along the way. For all the focus on individuals, politics will always be a team sport and the changes we've delivered for our country and our party belong to everyone who has fought for them. I thank them again today and I thank the British people for the opportunity to serve. I go with good grace, I go with a smile and I go proud of everything that we have achieved. Thank you very much. I go with good grace, I go with a smile, I go with pride of everything I've achieved. The final words there from Keir Starmer as the Prime Minister of the UK giving that speech marking the end of his tenure as Prime Minister. He will shortly be heading to the King in Buckingham Palace to begin the process for a transition. Let's go to Jonah Hull, he's joining us live from Downing Street. So Jonah, an attempt to to end his premiership on something of a high note, Jonah? You follow him round, yes, well look as we speak, you will see the Prime Minister for just minutes left, Keir Starmer there and his wife Vick, stepping into their vehicle at the bottom end of Downing Street. They're about to head off now as applause rings out across Downing Street from members of the Downing Street staff. Most of his cabinet lined up out there to listen to that farewell speech. The outriders have just gone through the gates. Applause still ringing out as Keir Starmer leaves for the final time at Number 10 Downing Street for the very short journey now towards Buckingham Palace where he will hold a meeting with the King, King Charles III. He will formally tender his resignation to the King. He resigned of course or at least gave notice of his resignation a month ago at the lectern here in Downing Street after Andy Burnham won that by-election in Makefield in the north of England after the pressure on Keir Starmer having vowed to fight on through the five-year term that he'd been elected for, finally succumbing to that pressure, saying that he would step down and as he does so now on his way to the King, the moment that he tenders his resignation his political journey will have come to an end and you were listening in there I'm sure but just to remind you he said my work is done. He spoke of the six and a half years that it took to transform the Labour Party after a historic defeat in 2019 into again a political force winning a landslide election in 2024. He said it's been the privilege of my life to serve and he leaves confident, Keir Starmer says, that the country is stronger and fairer than when he founded it. And Jonah, we expect to be, we're looking at live pictures I should point out for our viewers, that is the motorcade that Jonah was talking about, heading, taking the outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer to meet with the King for that process Jonah has just been explaining that will lead to a new Prime Minister emerging today, Jonah. So what do we expect Andy Burnham to outline in his what will be his first speech as Prime Minister? Well that I think is due to happen in about an hour's time here or possibly less now I'm not entirely sure but as soon as Keir Starmer has finished with the King it will very swiftly then be Andy Burnham's turn himself to arrive at Buckingham Palace and go into a private meeting with King Charles during which the King will formally invite Andy Burnham to form the next government in the King's name of course it is at that moment that Burnham himself will become Prime Minister he will then sweep back into Downing Street here arriving as Prime Minister and deliver his very first speech to the country from the steps indeed from the very same same lectern there behind me as you see Keir Starmer's cabinet and supporters milling around over there what what is he going to say well it may very well be the first time that we get to hear some flesh on the bones of an actual policy programme from Andy Burnham we know that he's made sweeping statements in speeches in the last month the month of transition since that Makerfield by-election he's talked of no less than changing 40 years of political consensus in this country that he says has never worked for ordinary working people he wants to re-nationalise utilities re-industrialise the country redistribute power away from Westminster that he has long said is out of touch with working people delivering more power into the hands of local government and metropolitan mayors he of course having recently been the mayor of Greater Manchester a huge and ambitious policy picture but without up to now any real detail that is the sort of thing we will expect to see perhaps begin to hear certainly a flurry of policy expected in the week to come and after that speech Andy Burnham will enter Downing Street in a short while from now and begin very quickly to appoint his cabinet so that that work that work can get underway all right thanks so much Joe Nahal for now I'm sure going to be coming back to you as things continue to unfold in this transition process for now that's Joe Nahal for us from Downing Street