UK PM Starmer Resigns, First Round Of US-Iran Talks, Iran Deal Scrutiny

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned Monday after months of mounting pressure from his own Labour Party, making him the latest casualty in a decade of extraordinary political instability in the United Kingdom. Speaking from behind a lectern at 10 Downing Street, his voice cracking with emotion, Starmer said, "The question before me is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question. And I accept that answer with good grace." He will remain as caretaker prime minister until a successor is chosen.

A Seventh Prime Minister in Ten Years

Starmer was elected just two years ago with a landslide parliamentary majority, but his approval ratings plummeted to the lowest of any prime minister in modern memory. Part of the collapse stemmed from scandals—most notably his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as UK ambassador to Washington. But the deeper problem, according to NPR's Lauren Freyer, was Starmer's failure to connect with voters and deliver the real change he promised after 14 years of austerity under Conservative rule. His own lawmakers began turning on him in recent weeks.