UK

The Guardian -   Keir Starmer has announced he will stand down as prime minister after days of intense pressure from Labour MPs, paving the way for Andy Burnham to take over at Downing Street.  Less than two years after a historic election victory, Starmer had faced calls from his MPs, including privately from cabinet ministers, to set out a timeline for his departure, with many of them unnerved by the threat from Nigel Farage’s party before the next general election.

Starmer’s decision to announce his departure kickstarted the process to become the UK’s seventh prime minister in 10 years.

Burnham confirmed he would run for the Labour leadership, saying an “orderly and responsible” transition of power would ensure “stability, seriousness and a continued focus” on the issues that mattered most to the country.

Within minutes of Burnham’s statement, Wes Streeting – the politician most likely to have run against the former mayor of Greater Manchester – announced he was instead throwing his weight behind Burnham, making a coronation highly likely despite the misgivings of some MPs.

Burnham, who was travelling down to Westminster from Manchester on Monday, is likely to have just over three weeks to prepare for government, including confirming his policy priorities and picking his cabinet, with his choice of chancellor eagerly anticipated.

NPR -  Part of Starmer’s challenge was his failure to connect with people and to deliver the real change he promised after 14 years of austerity under the previous Conservative rule, NPR’s Lauren Frayer tells Up First. In recent weeks, Starmer's own Labour lawmakers and parliamentary party began to turn against him. Burnham is viewed as more folksy and could be more relatable with voters in a way Starmer was not. He is also likely slightly to the left of Starmer and more inclined to robustly defend the welfare state. Burnham will face the same challenges that Starmer did, including rising global energy prices and strained public finances. Frayer says this shift represents more of a change in personality rather than policy, given that they belong to the same party.