Ruth Cadbury on Keir Starmer's Resignation

‘‘Keir Starmer is a man of decency and integrity, and I am sad to see his announcement today that he will be resigning as Prime Minister once a successor has been elected as leader of the Labour Party. Keir has put the stability of our country first and avoided what could have been a divisive leadership election. I wish Keir, his wife Victoria and his children well. The sacrifice they have all gone through for this job should not be forgotten.

I know that constituents will have differing views on Keir’s announcement. My own view is that Keir has led the UK through difficult times with skill. His calm presence has been a much-needed contrast to previous Prime Ministers. He has provided stability for our country over the past two years, including on the world stage.

Under Keir’s leadership we have avoided getting deeply entangled in President Trump’s war in Iran and he has led a government that is reforming and fixing the problems facing our country.

Whether it’s reducing NHS waiting times, introducing free breakfast clubs in schools or giving frontline workers such as nurses, doctors, teachers and police officers a much needed pay rise, we are seeing the impact that the Labour Government has had.

Those renting privately are already benefitting from the Renters Rights Act, those on low pay have seen an increase in the national minimum wage and the Employment Rights Act will ensure workers across my constituency are treated fairly at work.

I am particularly pleased that Keir built a stronger relationship with our friends and allies across Europe and worked for closer relations with the EU. This is already bringing benefits for the UK and I hope the next Prime Minister builds on this really important work.

I believe that our next leader must now look to tackle the issues that all centre-left and centre-right governments around the world are facing; the increasing spread of disinformation on social media, low-levels of economic growth and rising authoritarianism across the globe.

A new Prime Minister offers a chance for the Government to reflect on how we can move forward. Mainstream parties across the world are all facing similar challenges and we must reflect on these global challenges, and how we can tackle them.

I hope the next leader will build a collaborative relationship with backbenchers in the PLP and engage with Parliamentarians on both policies and how we communicate these policies.

The next leader must work to win back the trust of voters who have felt unable to support the Labour party in recent elections and rebuild a strong coalition, including in our cities.