Starmer resigns: the end of centrist Labour in the UK

Keir Starmer throws in the towel: a handover or the start of chaos?

What drives a prime minister to resign barely two years into the job? Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as prime minister of the United Kingdom, as first reported by 20 Minutos. The news, which has landed like a bucket of cold water in Westminster, leaves the Labour Party rudderless and with more questions than answers. The man who once championed the return to the political centre has been unable to withstand the internal and external pressures.

The record of a very brief term

Starmer, the shortest-serving prime minister in Labour's history – according to views widely shared in the debate – leaves behind a tenure marked by a credibility crisis. He took the helm of the United Kingdom promising to restore stability, and he departs with his popularity in tatters. Those who defend his legacy stress that he at least tried to steer the party away from left-wing populism; his critics accuse him of being a stammering disaster with no capacity to react.

A mere change of face?

The big question is what comes next. The successor will come from Labour's own ranks, which leads to an uncomfortable reflection: if the underlying problem is the policies rather than the person, a change at the top will not change much. The comparison with Spanish politics – if Sánchez resigns and Bolaños steps up – comes naturally: sometimes changing the name on the door does not change what is inside. History repeats itself, and the next occupant of Downing Street could inherit the same explosive cocktail of inflation, social tensions and public scepticism.

The factor of unresolved controversies

Among the reactions, some point out that Starmer's resignation is shrouded in the disgrace of scandals that have marked his time in office. Allegations – not yet proven in court – of alleged complicity in incivil offences have undermined his authority. Others see him simply as one more politician leaving with a lifetime pension while the country remains mired in its structural problems.

Labour has lost its centrist leader, but not the opportunity to stage a new failure. The question hanging in the air is whether the next leader will achieve what the current one could not: govern without being devoured by internal contradictions. For now, it is time to wait for the primaries. Meanwhile, the City shrugs its shoulders.