It was, when it came, an extraordinarily dignified exit. Forced to resign by his own party, less than two years after a securing an enormous majority in the general election, Keir Starmer displayed little of the cold fury he must have been feeling at his Labour colleagues. And at other world leaders too – for the Prime Minister had to contend with his resignation being pre-announced on social media, 18 hours earlier, by President Donald Trump. Starmer, he said, had “failed badly”. It was an utterly disgraceful and disrespectful thing to do. So much for the special relationship.
“Walking up this street two years ago was the proudest moment of my life,” Starmer said a little after 09:30am this morning (22 June). Standing at the now all-too-familiar podium outside No 10 Downing Street, I was taken back to his first speech as Prime Minister what seems like only months ago.
Yet, Starmer was allowed just nine more words, and 12 seconds of speaking, before he was forced to compete with Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” blasting out from speakers at the foot of Downing Street. The Prime Minister kept his composure as the music – latterly adopted as the EU’s official anthem – grew louder and louder. A choir began at 35 seconds into the resignation speech. The insult of having this cacophony in the background, while a principled man talked of “ripping out the poison of anti-Semitism” from the Labour party that he inherited. For all the mistakes he has made in government, that is surely a legacy to proud of.
There was a bitter irony as Starmer spoke of his aim of building “a fairer country, with dignity and respect”, as none was afforded to him. The man responsible, anti-Brexit activist Steve Bray, has said subsequently on social media that he only played the music to drown out “a man with megaphone slagging off Labour and Keir”. It was “not disrespectful”, in his view: “It was ‘Ode to Joy’ or the guy with megaphone shouting all the way through.”
But these interruptions have been a feature of important political resignations and announcements in recent years. As former Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak stood in the pouring rain in May 2024 to announce the last general election, Bray played D:Ream’s “Things Can Only Get Better” at the gates of Downing Street. When Sunak’s predecessor Liz Truss stepped down in October, she was loudly heckled. And broadcast coverage of Boris Johnson’s resignation before that was accompanied by Bray’s playing of the Benny Hill theme tune, “Yakety Sax”.
This is not about party politics, but about decency. We have a right to protest in this country. It is an important right and one which I would not want to see taken away, from Bray or anyone else. That way lies tyranny. But I can’t help thinking that this is somehow symptomatic of the wider malaise we are contending with as a country: a lack of tolerance for difference, and a refusal to allow those we disagree with even the right to speak and be heard.
The resignation of a prime minister is a nationally historic moment. While they have been far too frequent in recent years, it is embarrassing that generations to come will be unable to hear these often moving and powerful speeches, delivered with the solemnity in which they were intended. Just because we have the power to protest at such times, does not mean we should.
I have always found it impossible not to be moved by these occasions (with the possible exception of Liz Truss). I admired Theresa May as she described being prime minister as the honour of her life. Despite being stabbed in the back by her Tory colleagues, she stepped away from the post “with no ill-will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to “serve the country I love”.
Whatever our personal politics, I think it serves us well to remember that our politicians are just people after all. And whatever their party or beliefs, the vast majority come into public life with good intentions and a desire to do good. Thankfully, there was silence as Keir Starmer delivered the end of his speech. His voice broke with emotion as he ended by talking about something always more important than politics: family. It would be nice if these public servants could be permitted to step down with the dignity their words often deserve. And for a nation to hear them.
[Further reading: Thank you, Keir Starmer, next]
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