LONDON, United Kingdom, Jul 4 — Sir Keir Starmer has warned his likely successor Andy Burnham will have to spend just as much time dealing with global turmoil as he has during his time in No 10.
In an untypically candid interview, the outgoing prime minister spoke for the first time about the “intensely personal” and “really tough” decision he took alongside his wife and children to accept that his “political career” was “over”.
Sir Keir told the BBC he had “saved” the Labour Party and been a successful prime minister.
He promised to “keep my mouth shut” under his successor, insisting that he liked Burnham and the pair had “always got on”.
Sir Keir has faced frequent criticism during his two years as prime minister – an anniversary he is marking this weekend – about the amount of time he has spent on the world stage, with critics labelling him “never here Keir”. Among Burnham’s supporters in parliament are those who hope he will be able to focus more on issues in the UK such as the cost of living and public services.
“It is not sensible to think you can just separate these two things out,” Sir Keir said.
Asked if a prime minister could spend less time on diplomacy than him, he replied: “No, I don’t think it is possible.”
He added: “There’s often this discussion – what’s the right balance between dealing with international affairs and dealing with domestic affairs? They’re one and the same thing.”
Sir Keir continued: “Whoever’s my successor is going to face the same global conflict. We keep saying, and it’s true, we’re in a more dangerous and volatile world than we’ve been in for probably most of my lifetime. That’s not just a phrase, that’s reality.
“That’s not going to change. And the domestic challenges aren’t going to change.”
Andy Burnham has ruled out calling an early general election if he becomes prime minister later this month
Having repeatedly vowed to fight on as prime minister, including facing any challengers in a Labour leadership election, Sir Keir ultimately changed his mind and resigned within three days of Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election.
He described it as a “really, really tough” decision which he ultimately came to that weekend with his wife, Victoria, and teenage children at Chequers, the prime minister’s countryside residence.
“I grappled with what was the best thing to do for me, for the country, for the government,” Sir Keir said. “And those discussions inevitably start with many discussions with colleagues, with parliamentary colleagues, with the team here, with my immediate advisers, with trade unions, so many people in that discussion.
“But for me, and this may be different for other people, in the end it became an intensely personal decision. And that’s why it was a decision taken ultimately when Vic and I were away with the kids. We went to Chequers and just spent two days together as a family. And that’s when I came to my final decision.”
He added: “Taking the decision that your political career is over, it is an intensely personal matter, or at least it was for me. I wanted to do that with Vic, and that’s what I did.”
Starmer says decision to step down was ‘intensely personal’
Sir Keir appeared to acknowledge that his successor is almost certain to be Burnham, although at other times he made reference to “whoever my successor is” and said there was “a little bit of process to go”.
He said he had “never had any personal animosity” towards the former Greater Manchester mayor and that he would “do everything I possibly can to make sure” that the next government succeeds.
Sir Keir committed to remaining an MP until at least the next election but said he would be “keeping my mouth shut, rather than giving constant advice to my successor about what they should be doing”.
He made clear that he sees his four years as Labour leader in opposition as “absolutely core” to his legacy.
Describing Labour when he became leader as “politically, financially and morally bankrupt”, he said it had been “hard and bloody work”.
Sir Keir said that in electoral terms his success should sit alongside Clement Attlee’s victory in 1945 and Sir Tony Blair’s in 1997.
He added: “The Labour Party arguably could have been lost, but I stepped up as leader and with others we saved the Labour Party”.
But he said he had been ousted because Labour MPs no longer believed he was “the right person to take us into the next election”-Capitalfm.co.ke.
The National Assembly has dismissed reports that the Sacco Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2025, is being rushed through Parliament, saying the proposed law is still undergoing public participation.
Through infographics shared on Facebook on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Parliament said misleading information had been circulating online about the Bill, formally known as the Sacco Societies (Amendment) Bill, National Assembly Bill No. 32 of 2025.
“Lately, there’s been a lot of misleading information circulating online about the Sacco Societies (Amendment) Bill. Let’s cut through the propaganda with the actual facts,” Parliament said.
Bill was published in June 2025
The National Assembly said the Bill was published on June 30, 2025, and had remained under consideration for more than 12 months.
It rejected suggestions that lawmakers were fast-tracking the proposed amendments without allowing enough time for scrutiny.
According to Parliament, the lengthy period between the publication of the Bill and its current consideration shows that it is not being rushed.
Bill currently before the National Assembly committee
The Sacco Societies Amendment Bill is currently before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.
The committee is conducting public participation and receiving views from members of the public and other stakeholders.
The submissions are expected to help the committee assess the proposed amendments before presenting its recommendations to the National Assembly.
What happens after public participation?
After the public participation process is concluded, the committee will prepare a report containing its findings and recommendations.
Parliament said the views submitted by members of the public and stakeholders could inform further amendments to the Bill.
The proposed legislation will then proceed to the National Assembly for consideration by MPs.
This means the Bill has not yet completed the legislative process and could still be amended based on the submissions received during public participation.
Bill will be forwarded to Senate
The National Assembly also clarified that the Bill will not proceed directly for presidential assent after being passed by MPs.
Because the proposed legislation concerns county governments, it will be forwarded to the Senate for consideration in accordance with the Constitution.
The Senate will be required to consider the Bill before it can complete the parliamentary process and be presented for presidential assent.
Parliament urged members of the public to rely on verified information about the Sacco Societies Amendment Bill instead of unconfirmed reports circulating online-PeopleDaily.Digital.
NAIROBI, Kenya, July 14 – A growing shift towards digital property searches is changing how Kenyans find rental homes, with real estate technology platform Reemio positioning itself as a solution to longstanding challenges.
This included fraudulent listings, costly house searches and limited market transparency.
As younger, tech-savvy consumers turn to online platforms to make purchasing decisions, the company says digitizing the rental process could improve efficiency for both tenants and landlords while lowering transaction costs.
Reemio Head of Business Njoki Kimani said the platform was created to eliminate many of the frustrations associated with conventional house hunting by connecting verified landlords and renters through a digital marketplace.
“Our niche is to solve the problem of house hunting and also bring trust into that process. We use technology to connect renters and landlords,” said Kimani.
Kimani said the platform seeks to address inefficiencies that have traditionally made house hunting expensive and time-consuming.
Instead of physically visiting multiple properties, users can browse verified listings, take virtual tours, compare amenities and access information on additional costs such as water charges, electricity bills and service fees before scheduling physical viewings.
“The digital space has become the next logical place for house hunting. We’re removing the stress of moving from one house to another physically while helping people avoid misleading listings and unnecessary costs.”
Beyond improving convenience for tenants, Reemio argues that technology can help landlords reduce marketing costs, shorten vacancy periods and reach a wider pool of prospective tenants, including Kenyans living abroad.
The company says its platform also generates market data that can help property owners and developers better understand evolving consumer preferences, although its long-term impact will depend on wider adoption of digital property platforms and continued investment in trustworthy online real estate marketplaces-Capitalfm.co.ke.
The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) has issued a notice for the provisional registration of two proposed political parties, opening a seven-day window for members of the public to lodge objections.
In a notice published by the Registrar of Political Parties and Chief Executive Officer J.C. Lorionokou, the ORPP announced that the Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP) and the People’s Alternative Voice (PAV) are in the process of being provisionally registered under Section 5(2)(a) of the Political Parties Act.
The ORPP, a State office established under Section 33 of the Political Parties Act and Article 260 of the Constitution, said its mandate includes registering and regulating political parties as well as administering the Political Parties Fund.
According to the notice, the Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP) has adopted pink, white and sky blue as its official party colours, with the slogan “Change – Mageuzi.” The party’s symbol is the acronym SDP enclosed inside a circle.
The party’s listed founder members are Nyangong’ Duncan Nyumbah, Omwandasi Jared Dishon and Kinyua Mary Wacuka.
The second proposed party, People’s Alternative Voice (PAV), has adopted purple, gold and white as its official colours. Its party symbol is a shofar, while its slogan is “Sauti Mbadala-Haki, Usawa na Maendeleo.”
The founders of PAV are listed as Odenyo John Fitzgerald Elly, Nyando Rachel Mmboga and Ali Hussein Kiplangat.
The Registrar said particulars of the two proposed political parties have been published on the ORPP website to facilitate public scrutiny as required by law.
Any person wishing to oppose the provisional registration of either party has seven days from the date of publication of the notice to submit objections either in writing or in person to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties at Lion Place, Fourth Floor, Waiyaki Way at Karuna Close, Nairobi.
The provisional registration marks the first step in the legal process of establishing a political party in Kenya.
After meeting the statutory requirements set out in the Political Parties Act, including demonstrating national character and fulfilling membership thresholds, the parties may apply for full registration, which grants them legal recognition to field candidates in elections and access benefits available to registered political parties.
Kenya has 91 fully registered political parties. The ORPP’s updated register indicates that, as of January 2026, there were 91 parties that had met the legal requirements for full registration under the Political Parties Act-STAR.