Keir Starmer has defended the foreign-policy focus that marked his final stretch in Downing Street, saying his decision to resign as British prime minister was “intensely personal” and warning his successor that global crises will keep hitting British households.
Starmer, who resigned last month, in his first interview for BBC since the announcement, said that leaving office had not been easy. He will remain prime minister until the Labour Party chooses a new leader.
“It was tough. I’m not going to pretend otherwise,” Starmer said. “I grappled with what was the best thing to do for me, for the country, for the government. In the end, it became an intensely personal decision”.
The comments land as Labour turns toward a leadership contest expected to test whether the party wants continuity in foreign affairs or a sharper domestic reset.
Starmer directed part of his message at Andy Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor and newly elected MP who recently returned to Westminster after winning the Makerfield by-election in June. Burnham is viewed as the likely successor and has focused his pitch on domestic renewal, including a pledge to move away from trickle-down economics and neoliberalism.
Starmer said any next prime minister would still have to spend time on diplomacy, citing the wars in Ukraine and Iran and their effect on energy prices, household bills and living standards.
“If you’re prime minister and you care what bills are going to be like in any household around the country, you have to care about finding a lasting solution to the situation in Ukraine. You have to care about what happens in the strait of Hormuz,” he said.
Starmer has faced criticism during his time in office for overseas travel and meetings with world leaders, with opponents portraying him as too often away from Britain.
Burnham, who served as MP for Leigh from 2001 to 2017 before becoming Greater Manchester mayor, said after his Makerfield win that Labour had a “final chance to change” and “build a new politics based on unity and hope”.
