Starmer bids MPs goodbye as British PM and pledges to support his successor

Andy Burnham, who is set to replace Starmer on Monday, will become the UK’s seventh prime minister in a decade.Outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised to give his “wholehearted support” to his successor, Andy Burnham, in an emotional appearance in the House of Commons as he prepares to hand over his premiership.Facing his last session of Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in parliament on Wednesday, Starmer said he wanted to see the next leader of the Labour Party succeed.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Andy Burnham apology for Labour stance on Gaza: Is UK’s position shifting?list 2 of 4British police make new arrest in Ann Widdecombe murder investigationlist 3 of 4UK to list Iran’s IRGC as ‘terror’ threatlist 4 of 4Andy Burnham in line to become British PM after securing party supportend of list“I want this Labour government to be a success,” Starmer said. “I want our country to be a success. I shall give my support privately if asked for, not publicly when not asked for.”Starmer announced his resignation last month after months of pressure to step down following a series of scandals, missteps and policy U-turns. He was prime minister for just two years despite having led his party to a resounding victory in the 2024 general election following Labour’s 14 years in opposition.Burnham is expected to be named Labour leader on Friday before formally replacing Starmer on Monday. He secured overwhelming support from the party’s 403 MPs and from major trade unions. The party’s comfortable majority in the 650-seat House of Commons means he will automatically become the next prime minister.MPs from all parties wished Starmer well at the weekly PMQs, thanking him for his public service and calling on him to ensure that England win Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal showdown against Argentina and go on to beat Spain in the final on Sunday.The weekly PMQs session in the United Kingdom Parliament is traditionally a raucous affair with opposition parties trying to bait the prime minister. Wednesday’s session was gentler, but there were still some barbs exchanged.