Starmer Quits Parliament After 11 Years as Holborn and St Pancras MP

Former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that he is stepping down as the Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras after 11 years representing the London constituency.

Starmer, who resigned as prime minister in June, said he decided to leave the House of Commons after reflecting on his future and the direction he wanted to take.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, he said his next focus would be on international affairs, particularly defence, security, trade and technology.

“I will now focus on other things and that will be international affairs including defence, security, trade and technology in a fast-changing world,” Starmer said.

He also pledged to continue his work on tackling violence against women and girls, an issue he described as being of great personal importance to him.

“I will also continue, as I have done for a long time now with others, to work on combating violence against women and girls; that is an issue that matters to me hugely,” he added.

Starmer’s decision comes just hours before his successor, Andy Burnham, is due to make his first statement in the Commons as prime minister.

Before announcing his resignation, Starmer had indicated that he intended to remain an MP until the next general election, expected in 2029.

His decision to leave Parliament earlier than planned will now trigger a by-election in Holborn and St Pancras to elect his successor.

It is not unusual for former British prime ministers to remain in Parliament after leaving Downing Street.

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak remains the MP for Richmond and Northallerton, while Liz Truss continued to serve as an MP until she lost her seat to Labour at the 2024 general election.

Theresa May also remained in the Commons for five years after leaving Downing Street.

However, Boris Johnson and David Cameron both chose to leave Parliament relatively soon after stepping down as prime minister.