Blackpool South MP Chris Webb thanks resigning Prime Minister Keir Starmer and backs Andy Burnham as leader
Blackpool South MP Chris Webb has released a statement after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s resignation.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer today announced he will resign as Prime Minister less than two years after coming to power.
In a statement outside 10 Downing Street, Sir Keir said his party had asked “whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election”. He said: “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.”
Defending his record, he pledged to give his successor “my full and unequivocal support, knowing that they will inherit a Britain that is far stronger and fairer than the one I inherited two years ago”.
In response, Blackpool South MP Chris Webb issued the following statement: “This morning, Sir Keir Starmer announced that he will step down as Prime Minister. I thank Keir for his service to our country and our party – he became leader at one of the most difficult moments in our history and led us back into government after 14 years.
“Under his leadership our economy is stronger, wages have risen, investment has been secured, infrastructure projects have been delivered and austerity has been brought to an end.
“We have seen the fastest fall in NHS waiting lists for 17 years, the biggest improvement in rights for workers and renters in a generation, the largest increase in defence spending since the Cold War, a reduction in small boat crossings, the closure of asylum hotels, and our reputation on the world stage has been restored.
“He has also taken steps to protect young people from the harms of social media and lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty – both massively important for Blackpool South.
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“More personally, Keir has come through for Blackpool – delivering a £20 million of Pride in Place investment, funding two new SEND schools, introducing plans to turn Blackpool and the Fylde College into a Defence Technical Excellence College, securing more defence jobs across our region and agreeing to close our asylum hotel after I made the case to him directly.
“In private conversations, Keir also made clear his commitment to doing more for Blackpool. Over the coming weeks I will be working hard to ensure those commitments are honoured.
“As Keir himself said this morning – he was the right person to restore our party and bring us into power, but the country has made it clear that he is not the person to lead us into the next general election. The local election results were devastating for Labour and the public made it clear that they wanted to see change. The decision he has taken today is the right one and he has taken it with dignity – he leaves office with my thanks and respect.
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“But politics must always be about the future and our mission now is to restore the hope we all felt following the General Election two years ago.
“Going forward, Andy Burnham has my full support. I voted for Andy in both the 2010 and 2015 leadership contests because I believed then, as I do now, that he understands the challenges facing working people and communities like ours. He has the ability to connect with the public, to inspire hope and to honestly articulate why difficult decisions sometimes need to be made.
“The Makerfield by-election and his time as Greater Manchester Mayor proves that Andy can bring communities together, deliver change and lift up places that have been left behind by Westminster – something we feel strongly in Blackpool.”