Keir Starmer

On 11 and 12 May 2026, eight Labour PPSs and junior ministers resigned as Starmer's authority weakened. Wes Streeting then resigned from Cabinet on 14 May, turning an internal dispute into a direct challenge to Starmer's premiership.

On 22 June 2026, four days after Labour narrowly held Makerfield, Starmer resigned as both leader and prime minister, saying the Parliamentary Labour Party had concluded he could not win the next election. He stayed on as caretaker prime minister until Andy Burnham took office on 20 July, ending a two-year premiership.

On 1 March 2026, Starmer authorised United States use of RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia for operations described by his government as defensive, while refusing RAF Akrotiri for offensive strikes. The decision, confirmed on 20 March, reversed his refusal of all access on 28 February and placed British facilities within the conflict's operational geography.

On 23 March 2026, Starmer rejected calls for a parliamentary vote on Britain's involvement. For his record, the episode fixed a defining tension: limiting direct British combat participation while absorbing the political and military consequences of hosting allied operations.

On 17 April 2026, Starmer and Emmanuel Macron convened more than 40 nations to plan a defensive maritime mission for the strait of Hormuz. The initiative gave Starmer a role in setting a European response distinct from the United States blockade proposal.

By 20 April 2026, the Macron-Starmer Coalition had been reclassified as established, with a mandate covering Merchant shipping protection, commercial reassurance and mine clearance. For Starmer, the mission was a practical expression of multilateral action without joining offensive operations against Iran.