UK political system ‘letting people down’, Oxfordshire MP says

In a statement outside 10 Downing Street, Sir Keir said his party had asked “whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election”.

He said: “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.”

Olly Glover, MP for Didcot and Wantage, said Sir Keir’s resignation as prime minister comes as “no surprise” to him.

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The Liberal Democrat said: “By September, we will have had five prime ministers in four years. The UK is relying on a broken political system that continues to let people down.

“Local businesses are being forced to close their doors, residents are unable to access GP appointments, and schools are reaching breaking point.

“We need to address the root cause: our voting system. The facts are simple: we are fighting a losing battle unless we address the root cause of the issue: our voting system.

“We cannot keep swapping Prime Ministers to ‘fix’ the UK; only a move towards a proportional, representative electoral system will ensure people’s voices are heard and drive the change that is so desperately needed.”

The past decade has seen a rapid turnover in prime ministers, beginning with Theresa May (2016-19), then Boris Johnson (2019-22), Liz Truss (2022), Rishi Sunak (2022-24) and now Sir Keir Starmer (2024-26), with the next premier due to take office by September.

By contrast, the preceding four decades saw only six people occupy 10 Downing Street: Jim Callaghan (1976-79), Margaret Thatcher (1979-90), John Major (1990-97), Tony Blair (1997-2007), Gordon Brown (2007-10) and David Cameron (2010-16).