Keir Starmer announced his intention to step down as Britain’s prime minister on Monday, succumbing to intense party pressure as his popularity plummeted and rivals have manoeuvred to challenge him.

“Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party,” an emotional Starmer said in a short speech outside 10 Downing Street in London.

Starmer said he would remain caretaker prime minister until a new Labour leader is chosen in the next few weeks.

Starmer made the announcement on the same day his likely successor, Andy Burnham, was due to be sworn in as an MP after winning a pivotal vote last Friday.

For months, political buzz has been building around 56-year-old Labour Party veteran Burnham, who is widely known across the UK as the “King of the North”, and who served as the mayor of Greater Manchester for nine years.

Burnham’s path to Parliament was made possible by a strategic by-election last week in Makerfield as his national prominence has risen.

Wes Streeting, who resigned as UK health secretary last month, has also emerged as a prominent contender.