Until the very last Keir Starmer has done what he thought was the right thing for our country.

It has been a huge honour to stand with Keir Starmer in Downing Street this morning having worked so closely with him over the last 12 months. He is a decent, kind, thoughtful man. The great irony of all the attacks he has faced is that he is the most authentic ordinary bloke you could ever wish to meet. He loves his family, football and going for a beer with his mates.

Keir changed the Labour Party. He took us from our worst election result in our history in 2019 to a landslide victory on 2024.

As Prime Minister he has delivered for Britain and for High Peak. A stronger economy with an end to austerity and wages rising faster than inflation in every single month since we came to power. The fastest fall in NHS waiting lists for 17 years.

The biggest improvement in rights for workers and renters in a generation – benefitting thousands of people in High Peak.

And from the chaos we inherited he has secured our borders with net migration down by 80%, small boat crossings falling and asylum hotels closing.

Keir Starmer’s resignation marks the end of a significant chapter in British politics. Under his leadership, Labour took decisive action to tackle antisemitism within the party, rebuilding trust and demonstrating that prejudice has no place in communities across High Peak and the country.

He also championed a stronger role for public transport, delivering rail reform and bringing services back into public ownership, with the aim of creating a more reliable and affordable network for passengers. His commitment to improving transport connectivity will leave a lasting impact on communities across the country.

As local people know my top priority has always been changing the lives of families and young people locally for the better. I am proud that under Keir we have done just that by  introducing some of the first free breakfast clubs in the country here in High Peak, we’ve delivered the biggest increase in free school meals, taken half a million children out of poverty and backed parents in the power struggle with tech giants by banning social media for under 16s.

I want to thank Keir for his service to our country and to my Party.

We must now come back together to build on Keir’s achievements and deliver the stronger, fairer country he believes in.

I wish Keir, Victoria, and their family all the very best for the future.