Former Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that he is standing down as the MP for Holborn and St Pancras, setting up a by-election in one of Labour’s safest London seats and closing the latest chapter in an unusually swift post-Downing Street exit.
Starmer, who left office in July after leading Labour to victory at the 2024 general election, said he wanted to focus on work outside Westminster, especially international affairs and violence against women and girls. His resignation means the constituency he has represented since 2015 will soon choose a new MP, although the date of the by-election will not be fixed until his Commons seat is formally vacated.
The move ends weeks of speculation over whether Starmer would remain in Parliament after stepping down as prime minister. He had previously said he intended to stay on until the next general election, which is not due until 2029. Instead, he told the Camden New Journal that it was the “right time” to leave and that he was ready to “pass the baton to a successor.”
In his explanation, Starmer said he would continue to work on international affairs, including defence, security, trade and technology, and would remain active on violence against women and girls, an issue he said mattered to him “hugely.” BBC reporting said he described it as a “huge honour and privilege” to represent the seat for 11 years.
The resignation also carries immediate political consequences in Westminster. A by-election will be triggered in Holborn and St Pancras, where Labour has held a strong position for years and where Starmer won a majority of more than 11,000 votes at the 2024 general election. Labour is expected to select a candidate for the contest by 9 September, according to the party’s website.
The likely field suggests the seat could still draw attention despite its Labour history. The Greens finished second in local-election vote totals across wards that make up the constituency, while Reform UK trailed further behind. The Greens have also hinted that their leader, Zack Polanski, may consider a run, adding a further layer of interest to a contest that would normally be considered safe for Labour.
Starmer’s departure comes at a time when the Labour government is trying to settle into life after the turmoil that followed his exit from No 10. The BBC noted that other recent former prime ministers have taken different paths after leaving office: Rishi Sunak remains a Conservative MP, Liz Truss stayed in the Commons until losing her seat in 2024, Theresa May remained a backbencher for five years, while Boris Johnson and David Cameron left the Commons relatively quickly.
The Commons resignation process itself means the formal step is not complete yet. Starmer must receive a crown appointment before his seat is vacated and the by-election timetable can begin. Until then, Holborn and St Pancras remains a Labour seat on paper, even if the political end of the Starmer era in Westminster is already in motion.
