In his first interview since stepping down as prime minister, Keir Starmer tells the BBC that Andy Burnham will have to devote significant time to international affairs. Starmer says Burnham cannot reduce the level of attention paid to diplomacy, framing global engagement as an ongoing requirement of the role. The interview also addresses Starmer’s departure from office. He describes his decision to resign as “intensely personal” and says it was “really tough” to accept that his political career as prime minister was over. Across reporting, the main points are that Starmer raises expectations for Burnham’s workload on foreign policy and that he provides personal context for why he chose to step down. Other outlets’ summaries likewise present Starmer as emphasizing the necessity of maintaining diplomacy and international engagement while noting that he does not describe the decision in terms of conflict with Burnham.