NIGERIA PERSPECTIVE

Lagos, June 23, 2026. Keir Starmer's resignation comes less than two years after Labour's decisive victory in the 2024 general election, which had promised an era of stability after Conservative turmoil. Nigeria registers this event with particular focus: the United Kingdom is about to appoint its seventh Prime Minister in ten years, a pace that Vanguard Nigeria calls a "decade of chaos." Starmer himself, before assuming power, had demanded an end to this "revolving door of leaders." He has now become one of its victims. The outgoing Prime Minister publicly acknowledged the political reality confronting him. "The question my party is now asking is whether I am the best positioned to lead the next government. I have heard the answer from my parliamentary group and I accept it graciously," he stated from Downing Street, visibly emotional as he paid tribute to his family. Over one hundred Labour MPs were demanding his departure. He commits to remaining in office until the election of a successor, expected before parliament returns in September. Andy Burnham, a veteran of the Labour Party and freshly elected MP from the Makerfield by-election on June 19, 2026, is presented as the most probable successor. His victory had already weakened Starmer by opening the path to direct internal contestation. Nigerian press gives significant prominence to reactions from Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party and a figure of Nigerian ancestry. In a statement posted on X, she was unambiguous: "Keir Starmer is a terrible Prime Minister." She attributed the collapse of the Labour government to a series of failures: the rise in social contributions, what she calls the "Family Farm Tax," abandonment of welfare reforms, underinvestment in defense, and refusal to exploit North Sea oil resources. Punch Nigeria, Information Nigeria, and Legit.ng all extensively relayed her statements, positioning Badenoch at the center of the post-Starmer debate. Donald Trump also spoke from the Oval Office, judging that Starmer "had truly hurt himself" on matters of energy, immigration, and the Iranian file. The American President faulted him for being slow to authorize the use of the British RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus for strikes against Iran. "He said we could not use the island. That was a first," Trump declared. Information Nigeria recalls that Starmer's popularity had declined in a context marked by the cost-of-living crisis, controversy over the nomination of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to Washington despite past controversial ties, and tensions over immigration.