European media outlets have reacted with bemusement to the resignation of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the sixth prime minister to leave office since the 2016 Brexit referendum. German magazine Der Spiegel likened Downing Street to a transit station, while Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia said the residence appeared to have a revolving door.
Starmer's fall from grace
Keir Starmer, who won a landslide election just months ago, resigned amid internal party discontent and the lingering consequences of Brexit. An analysis for Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung asked if the premiership had become an impossible job, noting that many fail at the task. Spain's El País was blunt in its assessment, headlining: "The broken promises of a Brexit that made everything worse."
Brexit's role in UK instability
European commentators widely attributed Starmer's downfall to Brexit. France's Libération ran a piece detailing "10 years of Brexit and an immense waste." Denmark's Børsen noted that Starmer was "chased down by both the recent and the distant past," pointing out that Britons are now getting their seventh head of government since the referendum. Der Spiegel recounted the departures of recent incumbents, calling the position a "hot seat."
Speed of decline astonishes
Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung highlighted the unprecedented speed of Starmer's decline, stating: "The speed with which the prime minister became a villain is astonishing." Libération concluded that Starmer was brought to power more by rejection of the Conservatives than support for his own programme, and his leadership collapsed under its own controversies.
Sympathetic takes and future outlook
Some outlets offered sympathy. Trouw, a Dutch newspaper, argued that Starmer's achievements went unnoticed due to poor communication, and his successor must be better at claiming credit. However, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung predicted little change with Andy Burnham's imminent elevation, headlining: "New head, old problems."
