London, June 22: Keir Starmer on Monday announced his resignation as British Prime Minister and the Leader of the Labour Party, setting out a timetable for his successor to be elected in the coming weeks and be in place by September.  

The 63-year-old said he will remain in post until a new leader and PM is elected by the governing party and pledged his “full and unequivocal support” to the new leader to “ensure an orderly handover of power”.

Andy Burnham, who returns to the House of Commons after winning a crucial by-election last week, is seen as the frontrunner in the race to replace him at 10 Downing Street.  

“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,” said an emotional Starmer, in his address from the steps of Downing Street.  

“I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question and I accept that answer with good grace. 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,” he said.

Starmer said that he had spoken to King Charles III on Monday morning to inform him of the decision.

He will now ask the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party to set out the timetable for selecting his successor, with nominations opening on July 9 and the process to be completed by the summer recess of Parliament, which is set for July 17.  

“In the case of a contest, this will ensure a new leader is in place before Parliament returns in September. I will remain in post as Prime Minister until the contest is complete, and I will do everything I can to ensure an orderly handover of power,” said Starmer. 

“I will also give my successor my full and unequivocal support, knowing that they will inherit a Britain that is far stronger and fairer than the one I inherited two years ago, better prepared for the challenges ahead, and better able to ensure the Labor Party secures a second term in office,” he said. 

Starmer led the Labour Party to a landslide victory in a general election in July 2024. After an initial phase of popularity, his ratings as PM have plummeted in recent months over some controversial decisions.  

“When I leave the biggest job in the country, I shall spend more time on the most important job, being the best husband I can to my fantastic wife, Vic, who has been a rock by my side through good times and bad, and being the best dad I can to my beautiful children, who are my pride and my joy,” said Starmer, choking back tears. 

Dubai, June 22: An explosion tore through Qatar’s key natural gas export terminal Sunday night as workers tried to resume operations there after Iran bombed it during the war, causing a fire that hurt at least 54 people, with another 18 still missing hours later.

The blast at the Ras Laffan industrial area could cause further chaos in global energy markets, particularly as Qatar remains one of the world’s top natural gas producers.

Qatar shut down its production after Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz meant it couldn’t get shipments out to its clients.

With Iran loosening its grip on the strait as negotiations continue over a permanent end to the war, Qatar began work to try to restart its export terminal.

On Sunday night, that work sparked an explosion and fire at the Barzan gas supply facility, the state-run firm QatarEnergy said.

The scale of the damage remains unknown after the blast, with officials initially saying only a few people had been hurt.

But hours later, Qatar’s interior ministry offered the far-greater casualty figures.

Washington, June 22: US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is visiting India to take forward the discussions on the interim trade deal agreed to by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump in February.

“This week, Ambassador Jamieson Greer will travel to New Delhi, India, to meet with the Minister of Commerce and Industry of India, Piyush Goyal, and other senior Indian officials to discuss the historic US-India joint statement and the interim agreement as part of the broader US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations,” the office of the US Trade Representative said in a statement on Sunday.

Trump and Modi met on the sidelines of the G-7 meeting in France last week where the US president said that India and the US were very close to finalising the trade agreement.

Trump also called Modi a tough negotiator and highlighted the personal rapport he enjoyed with the Indian prime minister.

The meeting between Greer and Goyal comes close on the heels of negotiator-level discussions on the pact held from June 2-4 in New Delhi.

Earlier, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal had said that the discussions between the two ministers are expected to be centred around giving final touches to the framework deal.

On June 5, Goyal said India and the US are moving towards closing all the open ends of the interim trade agreement, and both sides are likely to execute the “very, very vibrant” first phase of the BTA by the middle of next month.

Following the trip to India, Greer will travel to Uzbekistan, where he will meet President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the Head of the Presidential Administration Saida Mirziyoyeva, and Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev.

Greer’s discussions in Uzbekistan will focus on achieving fair, balanced, and reciprocal trade with the US.

US and Iranian negotiators were in Switzerland on Sunday for talks on their interim agreement to end the Iran war. Pakistani and Qatari mediators were also there for the technical-level discussions on resolving the conflict that the US and Israel began in late February.

The US team is led by Vice President JD Vance and includes Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. They are meeting with Iranian negotiators led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

On the eve of talks, Tehran said it closed the Strait of Hormuz again over Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon. The interim deal is meant to stop fighting on all fronts, including Lebanon.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose American tariffs on the Strait if a final deal with Iran isn’t reached in 60 days. The interim agreement calls for toll-free travel for 60 days in the waterway that is vital for the world’s supply of oil, natural gas and related goods like fertiliser.

Iranian state television says the Iranian and Qatari delegations are having discussions after the four-way negotiations, including the US and Pakistan.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Fox News that a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon cannot be reached if Iran is “trying to squeeze itself into this conflict” via the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group.

Herzog’s position is largely ceremonial. He said Israel and Lebanon will hold another round of talks in Washington on Tuesday. Hezbollah is not a party to the talks.

Iran wants any agreement with the US to include peace on all fronts, including Lebanon. It has been said that Lebanon will be a focus of today’s talks in Switzerland.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed concern that some Iranians could openly protest again. He said in a speech reported by semiofficial news outlets that “what I fear is that we may fail to satisfy the people, and that they may come out into the streets to protest,” which could affect the country’s unity during negotiations with the US.

Iran saw nationwide protests weeks before the war began as unrest over the weak economy turned into anti-government anger. Thousands of people were killed in the crackdown that followed, the bloodiest since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. For a while, the US and Israel mentioned regime change in Iran among their war goals.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright says 67 ships went through the Strait of Hormuz in the last 24 hours, similar to traffic before the war began in terms of oil and oil products.

Iran’s joint military command on Saturday said it had closed the strait over Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group. The US disputed that announcement.

Wright also told Fox News that Iran has not yet “demined” the strait’s central shipping channel, but the US has opened a separate channel to the south and has been escorting ships through it.

Wright acknowledged that some commercial shippers still have safety concerns.

Israel’s military issued a statement around the time that direct talks began. Its chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, was speaking from southern Lebanon. He said, “The ceasefire that has been declared is fragile, and we must maintain a high level of readiness for the renewal of combat operations.”

He said the military continues to defend against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its efforts to rebuild.

Trump has warned in a post on social media that Iran needs to stop Hezbollah from “causing trouble.”

“If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” Trump wrote from Camp David, where he is spending the weekend.