Former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is to step down as the MP for Holborn and St Pancras, a move that will trigger a by-election in the London seat.
Sir Keir announced his resignation earlier this summer after losing the support of his party in the wake of dire local election results, with Andy Burnham replacing him.
He told the Camden New Journal that he felt it was the “right time” to leave the House of Commons to focus on new work around international affairs.
He said: “It has been a huge honour and privilege to represent the best constituency in the country and to have taken over from Frank Dobson, who was such a great constituency MP and a member of the last Labour government. I will now focus on other things and that will be international affairs including defence, security, trade and technology in a fast-changing world.
“I will also continue, as I have done for a long time now with others, work on combating violence against women and girls; that is an issue that matters to me hugely.
“It’s work I started before I became an MP and it’s work I’m keen to continue after I’m an MP. So international affairs on the one hand, and continuing my work on violence against women and girls on the other.”
He has informed local Labour constituency party staff of his decision to exit Parliament after eleven years representing the north London seat.
Sir Keir took office in July 2024 following a landslide victory at the general election, but oversaw a massive decline in popularity for the government as discontent with his leadership grew.
Mr Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election effectively fired the starting gun for a leadership challenge against Sir Keir, and was the final trigger for his long-awaited resignation.
In July, two men were jailed for conspiring to carry out arson attacks targeting a property and a car connected to Sir Keir, which were believed to have been ordered on behalf of Russia.
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