Statement on the Prime Minister’s resignation
This morning, Sir Keir Starmer announced that he will step down as Prime Minister.
I thank Keir for his service to our country and our party – he became leader at one of the most difficult moments in our history and led us back into government after 14 years.
Under his leadership our economy is stronger, wages have risen, investment has been secured, infrastructure projects have been delivered and austerity has been brought to an end.
We have seen the fastest fall in NHS waiting lists for 17 years, the biggest improvement in rights for workers and renters in a generation, the largest increase in defence spending since the Cold War, a reduction in small boat crossings, the closure of asylum hotels, and our reputation on the world stage has been restored.
He has also taken steps to protect young people from the harms of social media and lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty – both massively important for Blackpool South.
On Waterloo Road with Keir Starmer
More personally, Keir has come through for Blackpool – delivering a £20 million of Pride in Place investment, funding two new SEND schools, introducing plans to turn Blackpool and the Fylde College into a Defence Technical Excellence College, securing more defence jobs across our region and agreeing to close our asylum hotel after I made the case to him directly.
In private conversations Keir also made clear his commitment to doing more for Blackpool. Over the coming weeks I will be working hard to ensure those commitments are honoured.
As Keir himself said this morning – he was the right person to restore our party and bring us into power, but the country has made it clear that he is not the person to lead us into the next general election. The local election results were devastating for Labour and the public made it clear that they wanted to see change. The decision he has taken today is the right one and he has taken it with dignity – he leaves office with my thanks and respect.
But politics must always be about the future and our mission now is to restore the hope we all felt following the General Election two years ago.
With Andy Burnham in Blackpool for the Labour manifesto launch
Going forward Andy Burnham has my full support. I voted for Andy in both the 2010 and 2015 leadership contests because I believed then, as I do now, that he understands the challenges facing working people and communities like ours. He has the ability to connect with the public, to inspire hope and to honestly articulate why difficult decisions sometimes need to be made.
The Makerfield by-election and his time as Greater Manchester Mayor proves that Andy can bring communities together, deliver change and lift up places that have been left behind by Westminster – something we feel strongly in Blackpool.
