A day before the 10th anniversary of Brexit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation. Starmer, who was the sixth Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the last decade, is expected to be succeeded by Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who was sworn in as a member of parliament yesterday.
The changes to “Downing Street“ are a leading topic in the British and American press, BTA writes.
Great Britain
Historians will try to solve a mystery – Of the six prime ministers who have governed Britain over the past decade, it is Keir Starmer who will be the most puzzling to future analysts, writes the British newspaper “The Guardian“. They will wonder how a man who achieved a convincing victory in July 2024 leaves after less than two years, considering that he has not started illegal wars, has not caused a severe economic crisis and has not been involved in corruption scandals, the publication notes.
The first and best documented is his weakness as a communicator. And this is not just a lack of charisma, but an inability to give clear and convincing arguments, points out “The Guardian“. Few voters can say what his plans for Britain were, and in truth, not many Labour MPs could, the British newspaper continues.
"And the failure in this regard cannot be attributed solely to Starmer's limited oratory skills. He did not really have a plan, or at least one that could be summarized and presented easily, no blueprint outlining to members of the government what they were expected to achieve. Early in his term, Starmer demonstrated a lack of political instinct and an inability to navigate the domestic political situation," the publication emphasizes.
The electorate gave Labour a convincing mandate, voters desperately awaited the return of the Tories. After the introduction of austerity measures, after the emergence of divisions caused by Brexit, after the deprivations associated with the coronavirus, the British needed at least some hope that things could improve. But Starmer quickly quelled any glimmer of optimism and warned that the situation would get worse, the Guardian reported.
In light of all this, historians may be impressed by Starmer's achievements. In his resignation speech, he claimed to have transformed the Labour Party, improved the public health system and lifted half a million children out of poverty. According to Starmer's supporters, these measures, along with his policy of protecting the rights of workers and tenants, are the basis of significant achievements, comparable to the progress made by the Labour government in the period 1945-1947, the newspaper notes.
In addition, Starmer's sympathizers say that he has established Britain's place on the world stage and that he has led a skillful state policy with which to maintain US engagement in Ukraine while keeping Britain out of Donald Trump's doomed war with Iran. "All this, Starmer's friends say, has been executed brilliantly", concludes the „Guardian“.
V. „Telegraph“ focuses on Starmer's likely successor, Andy Burnham.
“You get the impression that Burnham sees politics as something akin to the Manchester bus timetable. All it takes is a little better planning, more government intervention and public funds, a slight makeover - and things are done. But the world is much more complex and there is no indication that Burnham has the necessary philosophy or the experience to deal with it“, writes David Frost, who was Brexit minister in Boris Johnson's cabinet, in an article for the “Telegraph“.
“Like other Labour figures, Burnham thinks that “good growth” in Manchester, as he comically puts it, is achieved with a magic wand or by transferring money from one person to another. It is particularly funny that he believes that we have been living in conditions of neoliberalism and deregulation for 40 years, which is a complete denial of reality... And he wants a “massive transfer of power“ to the regions“. Frost continues.
“Well, we'll see if he shows his enthusiasm for Manchester as prime minister. But the brutal truth in Britain is that all regions are significantly less wealthy than London and the southeast. A true decentralization, in which each region collects its own taxes and spends its own money, would lead to a major deterioration in public services everywhere outside the southeast of England or a huge increase in local taxes“, predicted the former Conservative Party minister.
USA
Many members of the Labor Party hope that Burnham will give a new impetus and save it from its low rating in the sociological surveys, writes the “New York Times“. Since announcing his candidacy for the post of prime minister, Burnham has repeatedly mentioned the need for change.
Yesterday he gave a speech in which he promised to reduce water and energy bills, lower rail fares, encourage reindustrialization, especially in northern England, etc., the American publication lists.
But if Burnham becomes prime minister, as many expect, he will inherit many of the challenges that have so greatly hampered Starmer, is the opinion of the "New York Times".
"The economy has been stagnant for two years, which is partly due to the conflict in Ukraine and, more recently, the US-Israeli war against Iran. According to some analysts, Britain is still suffering from the economic consequences of Brexit. All this, along with persistent inflation, has forced Starmer to make tough decisions on taxes and spending that have angered many British voters," the American newspaper continues.
"The next prime minister will have to decide whether to accept Starmer's planned budget for military spending for the next three years. The disputes over these expenditures caused John Healy to resign as defense secretary. Increasing spending on the armed forces is likely to mean cuts to public services or higher taxes, or perhaps both," predicts the “New York Times“.
The new leader of the Labor Party will also face the far-right parties “Reform UK“ and “Rebuild Britain“, which are permanently present in the political space. Opinion polls show that Starmer has done little to curb the spread of anti-immigrant ideology in some parts of the country, even though the number of immigrants has fallen dramatically in the past two years, the American publication also writes.