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Learning English from the News

Upper intermediate level

Keir Starmer resigns as UK prime minister

Episode 260624 / 24 Jun 2026

(Photo by Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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The story

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has resigned. He will remain in power until a successor is chosen by the ruling Labour Party. He won a large election victory in 2024, but his popularity has dropped since then.

Many people believe that his government has made a number of mistakes. His party lost heavily in recent local elections, and some important figures in the Labour party called on him to resign.

Andy Burnham, until recently Mayor of Greater Manchester, is expected to become the next prime minister. Burnham became a member of parliament again after winning a by-election last week.

News headlines 

'No sense of direction': The downfall of Keir Starmer
Al Jazeera

Can anyone fix Britain? Regular change of PM a symptom of UK's malaise
Reuters

Andy Burnham may find Sir Keir Starmer a hard act to follow 
The Economist

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Key words and phrases

downfall 
a sudden loss of power or status

  • The singer's drug arrest led to his downfall.

malaise
a feeling of low energy or bad health

  • High unemployment is contributing to the country's malaise.

a hard act to follow
someone who has been successful and will be hard to replace

  • The manager was so good at developing their staff that they will be a hard act to follow.

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Learning English from the News