00:00As UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer steps out to a podium in front of 10 Downing Street,
00:05he's welcomed with cheers.
00:07But polling shows Starmer's popularity has cratered since his landslide election two years ago.
00:12As of June 15th, YouGov says 74% of British adults think he's doing badly.
00:18This is his resignation speech.
00:20Every decision I've taken has been about putting the country I love first.
00:26That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party.
00:31I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision.
00:37Some analysts say a lack of direction is one factor that doomed his leadership.
00:42It wasn't clear what he stood for, how all the government's policies added together,
00:46and he's become incredibly unpopular in the polls and Labour with him.
00:51While others say that despite his missteps, Starmer's downfall is part of a pattern,
00:56with challenges like Brexit, COVID, scandals and energy spikes creating political instability.
01:02Starmer's successor will be the seventh leader in a decade.
01:06And so it's all added up to an ecosystem of a Britain where it's been very hard for Prime Ministers
01:12to retain their grip on power, even if they have substantial parliamentary majorities like Keir Starmer does.
01:19Starmer is going out with a plan.
01:22Nominations for his replacement open on July 9th,
01:25with the expectation that a new Labour leader, and therefore Prime Minister,
01:28will be in place by the time Parliament reconvenes in September.
01:32There's already a frontrunner, newly elected MP and former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
01:38But some in the British opposition are not all that excited about Starmer's roadmap.
01:43Well, we need to ask why he set out this timetable.
01:47What are we waiting for?
01:48There are critical decisions that need to be made,
01:50and the Prime Minister is setting out his farewell tool while Andy Burnham wants a summer holiday.
01:56It's really, really important that we ensure that the country is being governed.
02:00Reform UK, a minority populist party, says the next Prime Minister
02:04needs to have a democratic mandate beyond the Labour Party.
02:07Whoever becomes the Prime Minister will not have been voted for by the British public.
02:12And if the next Prime Minister is the new MP for Makerfield, Andy Burnham,
02:16he didn't even stand at the last election on any manifesto at all.
02:20But despite a range of views about what's to come,
02:23the succession for Burnham looks, for now, to be set.
02:26He says he's publicly focused on his constituency,
02:29and he's downplaying any further ambitions.
02:31When asked if he'd call a general election, this is what he said.
02:35I think you're jumping several hurdles ahead there.
02:40My priority today is to become spawning as the mayor, as the MP for Makerfield.
02:46And it's been very kind of sad for me today to leave Greater Manchester.
02:52But analysts expect Burnham could be Prime Minister within weeks.
02:55And while he's not set out a policy platform, including foreign policy,
02:59his record suggests he could bring the UK closer to China.
03:03As Manchester mayor, he led a trade mission to China,
03:06where he admired the country's high-speed rail prowess.
03:09The question is whether this seasoned politician from England's north
03:13has what it takes to make it in London,
03:15in an era where few who make it to the top stay in power for long.
03:18John Tsu and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.
