Former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is to stand down as an MP after 11 years in Parliament, triggering a by-election in his north London constituency. The announcement has been confirmed by multiple national outlets and Starmer’s local newspaper.
Sir Keir, who has represented Holborn and St Pancras since 2015, said he had spent the summer reflecting on his future before deciding that now was the “right time” to leave the House of Commons.
In his statement, Starmer said: “It’s been an honour and privilege to represent the best constituency in the country” and said he wanted to “hand the baton” to a successor.
Former PM turns attention to international affairs
Starmer said he now intends to concentrate on international affairs, including defence, security, trade and technology, while continuing his longstanding work tackling violence against women and girls.
His departure comes around six weeks after he resigned as prime minister and was succeeded by Andy Burnham. Starmer had initially indicated that he intended to return to the backbenches and remain an MP.
His resignation will trigger a by-election in Holborn and St Pancras. At the 2024 general election, Starmer retained the constituency for Labour with 18,884 votes and a majority of 11,572.
A date for the by-election has not yet been announced.
