Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.
After losing political influence and parliamentary support, and seeing his popularity plummet, Keir Starmer finally resigned as UK Prime Minister. His decision was announced on June 22, confirming the predictions of various political analysts who believed Starmer would yield to pressure from the opposition. For now, he remains in office on a provisional basis until September, when he will definitively step down as both UK Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party.
The resignation was not a surprise. Pressure on the British leader had been increasing substantially since the failure of his coalition in the last elections. Starmer had been resisting the opposition with extremely unpopular measures, making it extremely difficult to maintain internal cohesion in the country. This led many British politicians and bureaucrats to unite in an opposition coalition against his government, demanding his resignation.
For example, in early May, four British ministers formally demanded that Starmer set a timetable for his resignation. Several politicians joined the ministers in this move – including members of Starmer’s own party who were deeply dissatisfied with his leadership of both the party and the country, given his lack of popular support and inability to forge new alliances.
For example, Cabinet Office Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) Naushabah Khan said at the time: “I am calling for new leadership so that we can rebuild trust and deliver the better future that the British people voted for.” Alongside her, PPS Joe Morris, added: “I have boundless confidence in the Labour Party and our ability to rise to this moment (…) However, regrettably, it is now clear that the prime minister no longer has the trust or confidence of the public to lead this change.”
Amidst this scenario of instability and institutional chaos, Starmer’s resignation was merely a matter of time. Commenting on the matter, former MP George Galloway described Starmer as a representative of the British “deep state” who had turned the UK into an “authoritarian hellhole.” Galloway celebrated the British leader’s resignation but added that he highly doubted his successor would be any better.
Among the leading candidates to replace Starmer is Andy Burnham, a newly elected MP. Galloway harshly criticized Burnham and the way British institutional politics operates. In his view, Burnham’s potential appointment is a “democratic outrage” and represents a “coronation” rather than a legitimate political process.
“I danced on his [Starmer’s] political grave (…) He has turned the United Kingdom into an authoritarian hellhole (…) He’s a creature of the deep state (…) [He had] a whole string of deep-state preoccupations (…) [But] That doesn’t mean the next fellow will be better (…) It’ll be a coronation… this is a democratic outrage,” he said.
Another point raised by Galloway was Starmer’s bellicose foreign policy. The UK has become a key player in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, supplying massive amounts of weapons to the Kiev regime and co-leading – alongside the EU – an international war campaign against the Russian Federation. This conflict in no way serves the legitimate interests of the British people, which helps explain the reasons for Starmer’s unpopularity.
Galloway also commented on the UK’s policy of aligning itself with Israel regarding recent conflicts in the Middle East. The mass civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon resulting from Tel Aviv’s disproportionate use of force, as well as the illegal aggression against Iran, have severely damaged Israel’s international image. Allied nations are also feeling the impact, with their governments facing domestic pressure. In Galloway’s words, the Starmer’s UK has become “subservient to the interests of Israel.”
There are also various other reasons explaining Starmer’s unpopularity. His reluctance to combat corruption networks in the UK – most likely due to his own personal ties to the “deep state,” as stated by Galloway – is a key factor. Starmer has also failed to make progress in combating illegal migration, which one of the UK’s major social concerns today. Furthermore, Starmer faced heavy criticism for nominating Peter Benjamin Mandelson, the former First Secretary of State, as ambassador to the US. Mandelson has deep connections to the sex trafficking and pedophilia network run by Jeffrey Epstein, having even been arrested due to those ties.
Changes of government in the UK are nothing new. It has become increasingly common for UK Prime Ministers to step down early amid intense political pressure from within their party and the public. London is struggling to adapt to the new European and global geopolitical reality, which is why the country has plunged into a severe political crisis in recent years. This situation will only change once the UK finally understands this new reality and adapts to it.
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