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Scottish party leaders and unions welcome Starmer's resignation and urge Labour to change tack
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer makes a speech in Downing Street, London, as he said he will resign as leader of the Labour Party and he has informed the King of his decision, June 22, 2026
SCOTTISH party leaders and unions welcomed the Prime Minister’s resignation today and urged Labour to change tack if it wants to defeat the “poison” of Reform.
The remarks came after Sir Keir Starmer offered his resignation in a self-justifying ramble to the strains of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy on the steps of No 10.
STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said: “Winning a mandate that promises change then failing to deliver it has been the mortal wounding of the Prime Minister.
“While, undoubtedly, it takes time and undoing 14 years of ruinous Tory austerity to our communities doesn’t happen overnight, grave missteps over the two-child benefit cap, the winter fuel payment and welfare reforms that would make George Osborne blush had his card marked.
“The Labour UK government does deserve credit for delivering long-standing demands from trade unions for improved employment rights but we simply must go further and faster in uprating wages, delivering secure work and having an industrial policy that invests in workers and their future.”
Calling Sir Keir’s resignation the right decision, First Minister John Swinney said: “It was past time for him to face reality and the fact he now has allows some hope that things can change.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who called for Sir Keir to go in February, said the next UK general election was a “fight for the heart and soul” of the country and against the “poison” of Reform.
He said: “I’m hungry for the fight ahead and I want to play my full part in making sure this country never ends up in the hands of Nigel Farage and Reform.”
Mr Sarwar said his job as Scottish leader would be “challenging (candidates) what they mean by change, what meaningful outcomes they will deliver for people here in Scotland and across the UK.”
Questioning Sir Keir’s legacy, Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay MSP said: “His most immoral decision was to arm, support and enable Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people.
“It is not a legacy anyone should be proud of.”
In a final warning, Ms Foyer added: “The Labour Party, if it is to recover and win the trust back of working-class people, must do some deep soul-searching and give people a vision to believe in — one of equality, dignity and fairness for our class and our communities.”
