Sir Keir Starmer has said “my work is done” and “I go with a smile” in his final speech as Prime Minister.
Speaking in Downing Street before heading to Buckingham Palace to offer his resignation to the King, Sir Keir said he would “pass the baton” to Andy Burnham.
The departing premier, who was joined by his wife Lady Victoria Starmer, colleagues and friends in Downing Street, said the country was “stronger and fairer” than when Labour took office.
He said: “I am 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.”
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