UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Resigns: How His Stance on LGBT Rights Changed

Keir Starmer announced his resignation as leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on June 22, 2026. He will remain in office as head of the government until a successor is elected. Nominations for candidates will open on July 9.

Starmer’s decision followed the May local elections in the UK. The Labour Party lost over 1,220 seats on local councils, while the right-wing Reform UK party gained over 1,300 new mandates. Speaking outside the Prime Minister’s residence in London, Starmer stated that after his resignation he plans to dedicate his time to his wife and children.

Before Starmer took office in 2024, many considered him an ally of the LGBT community. As a human rights lawyer, he helped challenge anti-homosexuality laws in Commonwealth countries through the Human Dignity Trust. He also defended the right of LGBT people to serve in the military in court. After becoming an MP, Starmer voted in 2019 to make LGBT-inclusive education mandatory in the school curriculum.

In 2021, Starmer called transgender people one of the most discriminated groups and supported the idea of simplifying the process of changing gender markers. Furthermore, in April 2026, a law he supported came into effect, treating hate crimes against LGBT people as severely as racially motivated crimes.

However, during his premiership, Starmer toughened his rhetoric regarding transgender people. In 2024, he stated that trans women who had not undergone gender-affirming surgery should not be allowed in female-only spaces. He also stepped back from his support for LGBT education, stating that he was opposed to the teaching of “gender ideology” in schools .

In April 2025, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the definition of “woman” in the Equality Act refers exclusively to biological sex. Starmer publicly agreed with this decision. Additionally, starting in February 2026, the government banned the prescription of puberty blockers for transgender teenagers. The Labour Party’s promised total ban on conversion therapy was never enacted by the time of Starmer’s resignation.