Keir Starmer branded a 'woeful failure' by Andrew Pierce following resignation: 'One of the worst!'

Announcing his departure to the nation this morning, Sir Keir said that "every decision" he has taken "has been about putting the country I love first".

He said: "When I leave the biggest job in the country, I shall spend more time on the most important job, being the best husband I can to my fantastic wife Vic, who has been a rock by my side through good times and bad, and being the best dad I can to my beautiful children, who are my pride and my joy."

Delivering his verdict on Sir Keir's departure, Andrew told GB News it was a "typically competent" speech.

He said: "There was a bit of emotion at the end, but this is a terrible failure, isn't it?

"Two years after winning a landslide majority, we haven't seen a landslide like that since the days of Tony Blair back in 1997."

Andrew highlighted the "failures" of Sir Keir's leadership over the last two years.

Andrew Pierce has torn into Keir Starmer following his resignation as Prime Minister

GB NEWS / PA

He added: "But I'm afraid that the premiership was one of utter, abject failure. Politics is a brutal business and we've got to say it failed to deliver on growth.

"The economy is going backwards, not forward, and all the personal issues, the disastrous decisions over winter fuel allowance, even the freebies right at the very beginning of his premiership was a real sign there was something wrong here."

Taking aim at Sir Keir, Andrew told GB News: "Plus the disastrous decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, which went to the very heart of of Keir Starmer's lack of political judgement. He's got no political instincts, he's got no political antennae.

"He's not a politician, he's a a lawyer, not a leader. He doesn't have proper Labour Party instincts. He's been a woeful failure and in my view, one of the worst I've ever covered."

Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation after two years in power |

POOL

Discussing the leadership challenge from Andy Burnham, Andrew said that the new Makerfield MP "must come forward with proper plans" if he is to lead the country.

He said: "What I think we want from a Prime Minister is a Prime Minister with a vision for the country, a strategy and Keir Starmer had no vision.

"I was shocked, the first 100 days there was no plan, he should have hit the ground running. My God, they've been out of power for 14 years. They had 14 years to come up with a proper coherent plan to how to govern the country, how to restore economic growth.

"So Andy Burnham, over the coming weeks, he's just got to come forward with proper plans. He's talked about massive state intervention, which makes my heart sink, but at least, let's hope, he's got a plan."

Andrew urged Mr Burnham to tackle the country's booming welfare bill, declaring we "cannot carry on as we are".

Andrew told GB News that Andy Burnham must come forward with a 'proper plan'

GB NEWS

He concluded: "We cannot carry on as we are with welfare so expensive. We're barely generating enough money from revenue to pay our welfare bill, that's what Keir should have done, but he was frightened.

"But Burnham will have a bounce. He's got to exploit that bounce, and in my view, he's got to set out a timetable for how he is going to cut back on the benefits bill, how he is going to continue to make sure illegal migration falls.

"It was a bit rich of the Prime Minister to talk about reducing the number of small boats, we all know the only reason small boats numbers fall is because of the weather, and I imagine in the next week or two we're going to see an awful lot of small boat migrants illegally crossing the Channel.

"Remember when they talked about smashing the gangs? So he's got a huge, huge agenda, but for the Prime Minister, politics is a rough old business."