Keir Starmer speaks to King Charles before announcing resignation

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that King Charles spoke to Keir Starmer by telephone from Highgrove earlier this morning before the prime minister announced his resignation.

Royal expert Emily Ferguson took to X, formerly Twitter handle and shared palace statement.

She tweeted, “NEW: Sir Keir Starmer spoke to the King earlier this morning by phone while His Majesty was at Highgrove, to tell him that he was going to resign as leader of the Labour Party.”

Starmer announced his resignation on Monday following months of pressure, kickstarting a process that will see Britain get its seventh prime minister in a decade.

In a speech outside 10 Downing Street, Starmer -- in office since July 2024 -- conceded he had lost the support of his Labour party MPs.

He said he had informed King Charles of his decision to resign so that a new Labour leader, and therefore prime minister, could be elected.

"I will remain in post as prime minister until the contest is complete, and I will do everything I can to ensure an orderly handover of power," he said.

Starmer´s authority has been waning since Labour endured a drubbing in local and regional elections in May.

He was unable to withstand the pressure any further following confirmation last week that his rival Andy Burnham was returning to parliament, clearing the path for an anticipated leadership challenge.