PEOPLE in West Somerset have been reacting to Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer announcing his resignation on Monday (June 22).

Local MP Rachel Gilmour called for a shift in British politics and an end to the ‘soap opera’ in Number 10 as the UK prepared for its seventh Prime Minister in 10 years.

Ms Gilmour said Labour was continuing the Conservatives’ legacy of ‘chaos and instability in its leadership’ and the British public deserved better.

She hoped Sir Keir successor would create real change for local people on the cost of living and the NHS.

Mrs Gilmour said: “From a personal point of view, this is a very sad moment for Keir Starmer and his family.

“However, the British people are sick of being let down by an endless merry-go-round of Prime Ministers, and this time must be different.

“Labour promised change.

“What we have got is more of the same Westminster soap opera as under the Conservatives.

“It cannot just be about who moves into Number 10.

“It has to be about delivering positive change for people in our community, at the pace the country needs.

“What we need now is to carry on calmly, have a smooth transition, put the choppy waters behind us, and look forward to a better, more positive future for Tiverton and Minehead and for this country.”

Exmoor farmer and Conservative campaigner James Wright said a General Election was now needed so the public could choose who ran the country, not Labour MPs.

Mr Wright said: “Changing the person at the top does not change the fact that Labour has no plan for the country.”

He said Sir Keir had promised a Labour Government which would deliver change.

Mr Wright said: “He has delivered higher costs and broken trust.

“For farming families hit with a death tax, for pensioners left out in the cold, and for the people who run or work in small businesses, he has made life harder and more expensive.

“Taxes are up, growth has stalled, and the bills that land on every household and small business have kept rising.

“The promises made in 2024 on tax and on the economy have not survived contact with reality.”

Countryside Alliance chief executive Tim Bonner said: “This was undoubtedly a hard decision for the Prime Minister to make and we wish him and his family well for the future.

“After 14 years of his party being politically irrelevant in the countryside, Keir Starmer pledged to renew ‘the bond of respect’ between the countryside and politicians.

“Many rural voters gave him the benefit of the doubt and the result was a record number of Labour MPs representing rural constituencies, some for the first time in history.

“But, sadly, shortly after taking office, Sir Keir's Government launched an astonishing attack on the countryside with the implementation of the family farm tax.

“The policy has caused untold pain and anxiety for farmers.

“It was, plainly, bad politics.

“We have seen taxes on rural businesses and toxic culture war policies including a ban on trail hunting and a clamp down on game shooting, all of which will further harm an already fragile rural economy.

“The Government will soon look very different and there will be plenty of time for Ministers to consider a change of course.

“Change does not start with culture war on the countryside and a return to the mistakes of the past.

“We stand ready to work with the next Government to achieve the very best for our countryside.”