Starmer says it's the 'end of my political journey' at his final Prime Minister's Questions

Keir Starmer has described his final appearance at Prime Minister's Questions as "the end of my political journey," delivering an emotional valedictory that reflected on his rise from human rights lawyer to Prime Minister and the personal cost of leadership.

In an uncharacteristically personal address to the Commons, Starmer said he had entered politics to serve and was leaving it in the same spirit. He thanked his family, his staff, his party and the country, and said the greatest privilege of his life had been the opportunity to lead. He avoided any suggestion of unfinished business or regret, instead framing his departure as the natural close of a chapter that had achieved what it set out to do.

His remarks were notably different in tone from those of his predecessors at their final PMQs. There was no combativeness, no attempt to define a legacy, no score-settling. Instead, Starmer offered a quiet defence of public service itself — the idea that politics could be honourable, that government could improve lives, and that the institutions of British democracy deserved to be protected and renewed.

The chamber responded with unusual warmth. MPs from all parties rose to pay tribute, and the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, delivered remarks that were widely described as generous and sincere. The Speaker, who has presided over some of the most fractious exchanges of the Starmer era, said the House was losing "a serious man who did serious things."

Starmer's departure marks the end of one of the more remarkable political trajectories of recent British history. He leaves office with his party in a strong position, the economy growing, and the country, by most measures, more stable than he found it. History's verdict will take longer, but the immediate assessment from both sides of the House was that he had earned the right to leave on his own terms.