The race to succeed Prime Minister Keir Starmer is officially underway after the Labour Party opened nominations to choose its next leader following Starmer’s announcement that he intends to step down.

The winner of the contest will inherit leadership of the governing Labour Party, which commands a strong majority in Parliament, and will become the United Kingdom’s seventh prime minister in the past decade.

Leadership contest begins

Starmer took office on July 5, 2024, after leading Labour to a landslide general election victory that ended 14 years of Conservative Party rule.

He announced his decision to resign on June 22 after facing mounting political pressure following disappointing local election results, controversial domestic policy decisions and criticism surrounding his appointment of Peter Mandelson as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States.

Mandelson’s appointment drew scrutiny because of his past association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

With Starmer preparing to leave office, Labour has now begun the formal process of selecting a new party leader, who will automatically become Britain’s next prime minister once elected by the party.

Nominations for the leadership officially opened on Thursday, marking the start of what is expected to be a closely watched contest that will determine the future direction of the governing party.

The leadership race comes at a pivotal moment for Labour as it seeks to maintain political stability while preparing for the next phase of government under a new prime minister.