I WAS a successful prime minister, Keir Starmer insists as he vows to 'keep his mouth shut' when Andy Burnham takes charge

Published: 23:14, 3 July 2026 | Updated: 23:15, 3 July 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that he was a successful prime minister in his first interview since announcing his resignation.  Speaking since his tearful resignation last Tuesday, Starmer claimed that he 'saved' the Labour Party and promised to 'keep his mouth shut' under his successor, saying he'd 'always got on' with Andy Burnham.  In the candid interview, Sir Keir described the decision to resign after a weekend with his family at Chequers as 'intensely personal'.  Sir Keir said: 'For me, and this may be different for other people, in the end it became an intensely personal decision, and that's why it was a decision taken ultimately when Vic and I were away with the kids, we went to Chequers and just spent two days together as a family, and that's when I came to my final decision.'  He also defended his decision to spend a significant time during his two-year premiership on global affairs instead of domestic issues, hitting back at critics who labelled him 'never here Keir'.  Sir Keir said: 'If you're prime minister and you care what bills are going to be like in any household around the country, you have to care about finding a lasting solution to the situation in Ukraine, you have to care about what happens in the Strait of Hormuz. 'It's not sensible to think you can just separate these two things out.' He also warned his likely successor, former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, that he will not be able to spend less time grappling with the turmoil around the world than he has.  Keir Starmer talked up his achievements in getting Labour elected in his resignation speech on June 22 Former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham (pictured taking a selfie with colleagues as he took up his seat in the Commons last Monday) is believed to be Sir Keir's likely successor Asked if he believed it was possible for his successor to spend less time on diplomacy, Sir Keir told the BBC: 'No, I don't think it is possible.  'So this suggestion you can really, in the modern era, simply split up the international and domestic, is just… it just doesn't make sense. It isn't true. It isn't right.' Sir Keir Starmer announced he was stepping down as Prime Minister on June 23 after accepting that Labour MPs no longer believed he was the right person to lead the party into the next general election. In an emotional statement outside Downing Street, the outgoing PM revealed a new Labour leader will be chosen before Parliament returns in September and pledged to remain in office until an orderly handover is completed.  Fighting back tears, he paid tribute to his wife Victoria and their children as he reflected on his time in No 10. Starmer also defended his record in office, insisting he had transformed a Labour Party that was once 'politically, financially and morally bankrupt' and restored trust on the economy, defence and national security.  In an interview on Friday, Sir Keir called the decision to leave 'tough, really tough'.  He said: 'Well, it was tough, I'm not going to pretend otherwise, really, really tough, as I grappled with what was the best thing to do for me, for the country, for the Government. Wife Victoria and the couple's son joined close colleagues outside in the street as they watched his resignation speech  'Those discussions inevitably start with many discussions with colleagues, with parliamentary colleagues, with the team here, with my immediate advisers, with trade unions, so many people in that discussion. 'But for me, and this may be different for other people, in the end it became an intensely personal decision, and that's why it was a decision taken ultimately when Vic and I were away with the kids, we went to Chequers and just spent two days together as a family, and that's when I came to my final decision.'  Attention is now turning to the race to replace Starmer, with Andy Burnham widely seen as the frontrunner as he heads to Westminster to be sworn in as an MP following his Makerfield by-election victory.  Sir Keir said there would be an 'orderly' process to choose his replacement, and that a successor would be in place before the Commons summer recess on July 16, if there is only one candidate – Mr Burnham. Otherwise, the decision could take until August.  Mr Burnham – who has rallied huge support from Labour MPs since romping home in the Makerfield by-election on June 19 – was sworn in at the Commons on June 22.  Sir Keir and Mr Burnham were not thought to have spoken directly for months, and Sir Keir was nowhere to be seen for a mass 'selfie' staged by Mr Burnham with his new colleagues.  After Sir Keir's resignation, Reform leader Nigel Farage immediately joined calls – including from some Labour MPs - for a general election to accompany the change at the top.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.