MEND Statement on the Resignation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer’s resignation paves the way for the seventh prime minister in a decade. Another change of leader must not allow for the same substance to remain. We see in it an opportunity to move the country toward a better future, but only if the next leader breaks with the failures of the past rather than repeating them.

Labour was elected on a promise of change. Instead we’ve seen the cost of living crisis deepens, living standards fall and too many families are struggling to make ends meet.

Starmer’s tenure was marked by a failure of moral leadership on the gravest issues of our time. His government’s position on the genocide in Gaza – equivocating and refusing the clear and principled stand the moment demanded – was a moral disaster. And at home, the divisions between our communities were allowed to deepen, as those who profit from stoking hatred were emboldened rather than confronted. The British people deserve better than this.

MEND now calls on the Labour Party to choose a successor who genuinely embodies fairness, justice and compassion. Andy Burnham has earned a reputation for listening to communities and standing up for the marginalised. We will judge the incoming prime minister not by their words on the steps of Downing Street or during any leadership race, but by their actions and their willingness to stand on the side of justice when it is hardest.

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