Starmer’s speech in full as he leaves Downing Street

Sir Keir Starmer says serving as prime minister has been “the privilege of my life” as he leaves Downing Street.

Sir Keir bowed out on Monday morning to make way for incoming prime minister Andy Burnham, who was elected Labour leader on Friday.

He is the shortest-serving Labour prime minister, having clocked up just 745 days in the top office.

Sir Keir claimed that the UK’s economy is “stronger” and immigration is down “significantly” since he became prime minister in 2024.

Here is his speech outside Number 10 in full.

“Thank you very much, and good morning.

“I’m about to visit His Majesty the King to offer my resignation and close the book on my time as prime minister.

“My work is done. In six-and-a-half years, I took our party from a historic defeat in 2019, changed it so it was fit to face the country, and won a landslide general election victory in 2024.

“Since then, it has been the privilege of my life to serve you and this great country as prime minister, and I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago.

“Our economy is stronger; our public services are on the up, with the biggest fall in waiting times for 17 years; children are being lifted out of poverty every single day; immigration is down significantly; our defence and security are on a far stronger footing and our international reputation is greatly advanced.

“Yet the thing I will always take away with me – the most humbling aspect of this job – is the front-row seat you get to witness the greatest things of this country in action, to see every day immeasurable acts of resolve, grit, decency, and compassion from people who serve our country, whether that’s in their regimental colours, NHS scrubs, or simply the millions of people in their communities who volunteer their time and their effort to the ground beneath their feet.

“We face a world now where our enemies will stop at nothing to divide us because of our values, our freedom, our decency, and frankly, because of our unflinching resolve towards the brave people of Ukraine.

“And so, under this attack, it is vital that we remember the greatness of the Britain all around us. That while we debate how to fix our problems, there is something we inherit from our country and our character that can give us confidence that we can change our country for the better, that we can create a Britain where every child can go as far as their talent will take them, and we can unite different people under our common flag if we don’t succumb to that division.

“So, as I now pass the baton to Andy Burnham, I wish him every success. He has my full support.

“And finally, I want to thank once again my family, Vic, and our children, my team, all the staff here and across the Labour Party, everyone at Number 10, and across the civil service, and everyone who has supported our efforts along the way.

“For all the focus on individuals, politics will always be a team sport, and the changes we’ve delivered for our country and our party belong to everyone who has fought for them.

“I thank them again today, and I thank the British people for the opportunity to serve. I go with good grace. I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved.

“Thank you very much.”