SIR KEIR STARMER is to quit Parliament, the former premier confirmed today.

Despite indicating that he would remain an MP when he left Downing Street in July, Sir Keir told a local newspaper that he would resign from his St Pancras and Holborn constituency in north London, triggering a by-election.

Alarmingly, he said that he intended to focus on international affairs going forward, further fuelling rumours that the inveterate militarist is being lined up for a top job in Nato.

“I will now focus on other things and that will be international affairs including defence, security, trade and technology in a fast-changing world,” he told the Camden New Journal, following the example of Tony Blair who resigned from the Commons immediately on leaving the premiership.

A spokesperson for Your Party commented: “Starmer leaves behind a party hollowed out, millions of voters disillusioned and a shameful record of British complicity in the genocide in Gaza.

“He entered politics as a human rights lawyer and leaves having abandoned those principles when they mattered most. Now he is abandoning his constituents too.”

Sir Keir’s vote in his seat halved at the last election. Nevertheless, Labour had a majority of more than 11,000 and, under its new leadership, must be favourite to retain the seat.

Andrew Feinstein, the independent pro-Palestine campaigner who ran a powerful campaign in the seat in 2024, is thought unlikely to stand again.

But the Green Party refused to rule out the possibility of its leader, Zack Polanski, contesting the by-election.

A party spokesman said: “Zack has always made it clear he would like to be a London MP. London has been his home for over 20 years.”