Sir Kier Starmer has confirmed he will be stepping down as the leader of the Labour party, signalling the end of his two year tenure as Prime Minister.
Since the Labour party’s historic victory in 2024, popularity has plummeted. May’s local elections results were catastrophic for Labour, as support for new right wing opposition Reform UK soared. Many of the PM’s own party have been pressuring him to resign, and many suspect Andy Burnham’s recent victory against Reform in Makerfield have propped him up to take over the reigns following Starmer’s departure.
An official timetable for the PM’s departure hasn’t been released, but potential contenders to replace him will have between 9th-16th July to gather support in order to stand for the role. There is a complex process to establish a new leader, but currently no other MPs have thrown their hat in the ring besides Burnham, with previously suspected challenger West Streeting putting his support behind Burnham within hours of Starmer’s resignation. If no other competition arises, the handover will be straightforward, and Burnham could be in office as soon as July.
Starmer’s departure has also given rise to rejoice from his detractors. Nigel Farage told Sky News “I feel sorry for the guy that he failed, but he did fail, and I think he’ll be upset, but I think the British public will be upset.” Farage also claimed responsibility for ousting Starmer, and reinforced his calls for a general election “as soon as possible”.
Although Starmer’s reign was marred by controversy, he position housing as one of his key priorities. Although his ambitious target of 1.5M new homes before the end of this parliament seems unlikely to be met, he did usher out a number of initiatives to expand and enrich the UK’s rigid housing sector, including SAHP, new planning reforms and most recently the Social Housing Renewal Bill.
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Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said: “Starmer was the first Prime Minister in some time that promised planning reform and acted on it. The early days saw reforms without consultation, a commitment in the face of critics and an unwavering dedication to ensuring Britain builds things again.
“His ambition must be recognised and credited; however, the pace of implementation, or rather the plodding nature of it, after a strong early showing is also part of his legacy.
“His successor must get back into the fast lane, ensuring further procurement reforms support local businesses. SME housebuilders get their medium sized site before broader planning reforms come in. And late payment is ended before the year end.
“They must also understand that construction is the key to growth, but the industry is not in a healthy place because of government policy. If the next PM does not understand that and seek to solve its challenges, any ambition to deliver housing, roads, rail, hospitals, commercial space for modern jobs, amenities, clean power or anything built, will see the zero-sum game of capacity and land use continue to hamper British growth and prosperity.”
Burnham has been an outspoken support of the social housing sector, and see’s social and affordable homes as a key turning point in pushing back the housing crisis. Whether he is able to usher in the same improvements across the country as he has done in Manchester remains to be seen.
“CIH recognises Sir Keir Starmer’s service and his leadership in keeping housing high on the national agenda. His focus on increasing supply, strengthening renters’ rights and championing the role of social housing has been important at a time of significant challenge for the sector. As a new Prime Minister is appointed, it is vital that this momentum continues and that housing remains a top priority.” said Gavin Smart, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
