Keir Starmer has advised his likely replacement, Andy Burnham, that reducing focus on international matters will not be feasible upon assuming leadership.
In a BBC interview, Starmer detailed his “intensely personal” decision to resign after serving two years as prime minister.
Throughout his tenure, the Labour leader faced criticism for prioritizing overseas engagements over domestic priorities, with opponents dubbing him “never here Keir.”
Burnham has emphasized domestic issues in outlining his potential premiership.
However, Starmer contended that the next prime minister must continue addressing global challenges at the same level.
“If you’re prime minister and you care about household bills across the country, you have to care about finding a lasting solution in Ukraine and what happens in the Strait of Hormuz,” Starmer told the BBC.
“It’s not sensible to think you can simply separate these two areas.”
When questioned about Burnham potentially spending less time on diplomacy, Starmer replied: “No, I don’t think it is possible. So this suggestion you can really, in the modern era, simply separate international and domestic affairs is just… it just doesn’t make sense.”
“It isn’t true. It isn’t right.”
Starmer also described how he reached his resignation decision during a family weekend at Chequers, the prime minister’s grace-and-favour estate in Buckinghamshire.
“For me, and this may differ for others, it became an intensely personal decision, and that’s why it was ultimately decided when Vic and I were away with the kids at Chequers and spent two days together as a family,” he said.
Starmer claimed he had “saved” the Labour Party and served successfully as premier, promising to “keep my mouth shut” under his successor.
Burnham previously indicated his foreign policy approach through a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session, stating he would “100%” maintain the same Ukraine support level as Starmer and continue pursuing closer EU ties.
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