Table of Contents
Topline
President Donald Trump on Sunday claimed U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer will resign, preemptively announcing his resignation in a post on Truth Social before the British leader announced an official departure.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump speak during during the G7 Summit on June 16.
POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
In a Sunday morning post on his Truth Social account, Trump said the prime minister “failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!)”
Starmer has been under pressure to resign for months, with sources telling the BBC the prime minister could announce a timetable for his resignation as soon as Monday.
When asked for comment, 10 Downing Street spokesman Patrick Dwyer-Cummins referred to Starmer’s comments on Friday, in which he told Labour Party staff “there’s more to do, and that’s what I’m focused on.”
Starmer has not made any further comments on the possibility of stepping down, and has not spoken to Trump this weekend, the BBC later reported citing 10 Downing Street.
What to Watch For
The proclamation comes only two days after former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham won a special election to replace an outgoing member of Parliament for Makerfield. Burnham, a popular member of Starmer’s Labour Party, is widely seen as a possible frontrunner to replace him as prime minister should he step down. Starmer was already asked about the possibility after Burnham’s win on Friday, telling reporters, “If there is a contest… I will stand, and I’ve said repeatedly I’m not going to walk away.” However, in an interview with the BBC on Sunday, U.K. Business Secretary Peter Kyle said Starmer was “taking the time to think through what the political realties are today, compared to last week and the week before.”
Surprising Fact
Starmer is now the least liked prime minister since polling began in 1977, according to an Ipsos poll in 2025. Only 13% of respondents approved of Starmer’s job as prime minister, according to the survey conducted last September. In another poll conducted earlier this year, Starmer’s likeability rating was only 20%—several points below rival party leaders. However, Labour remained the most favored party among respondents, polling at 34% likeability—three points ahead of the far right Reform UK party.
Key Background
Starmer has been prime minister since July 2024, after Labour won a landslide victory following years of unpopular Conservative Party leadership. However, voters began souring on the centrist Starmer’s premiership, leading to major growth in popularity for the Green Party on the left and Reform UK on the right—the newer party led by former Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage. Starmer’s reputation also took a significant hit after the U.S. government’s release of the Epstein files, which detailed the extensive friendship between the notorious financier and Labour Party insider Peter Mandelson—whom Starmer previously appointed ambassador to the United States.
