British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ended all speculation about his future on Monday by announcing his resignation, less than two years after guiding the Labour Party to a landslide victory in the 2024 general election.
英国首相基尔·斯塔默于周一宣布辞职，彻底终结了外界对其政治前途的所有猜测。距离他带领工党在2024年大选中取得压倒性胜利，尚且不足两年。
His resignation means the United Kingdom will have its seventh prime minister in just over a decade. Amid the imminent change, the British pound slid as much as 0.4 percent to touch $1.3181 early on Monday, approaching its 2026 low of $1.3159 set in March, before paring losses. The yield of the UK 10-year gilt bonds, a benchmark for what the UK Treasury pays to borrow money, edged up from 4.84 percent to 4.85 percent, while the yield on 30-year gilts rose from 5.54 percent to 5.55 percent.
此次辞职意味着，英国在短短十多年间将迎来第七位首相。在这一即将到来的政局变动背景下，英镑汇率周一早盘下跌0.4%，跌至1英镑兑1.3181美元，逼近今年3月创下的2026年低点1.3159美元，随后跌幅有所收窄。作为英国财政部借贷成本基准的英国10年期国债收益率从4.84%微升至4.85%，30年期国债收益率则从5.54%升至5.55%。
Doubts over Starmer's leadership had been growing for some time, particularly after the recent damaging local election results, for which Starmer took personal responsibility.
外界对斯塔默执政能力的质疑早已持续发酵，尤其是在近期地方选举遭遇惨败后，斯塔默主动为此承担了个人责任，执政危机进一步加剧。
In an address outside his Downing Street office, Starmer said that he had "heard the answer of my Parliamentary party" as to whether he was "best placed" to lead it into the next general election. "I accept that answer with good grace," he added, saying that he would continue until his successor was chosen.
斯塔默在唐宁街首相府外发表讲话表示，关于自己是否是带领工党迎战下一届大选的最佳人选，他已收到议会党内的明确态度。他补充道：“我坦然接受这一结果”，并表示自己将留任至新任首相人选产生。
Starmer became Labour Party leader in April 2020, replacing Jeremy Corbyn, who had led the party to a heavy defeat in the 2019 general election. He faced three Conservative prime ministers before Labour won 411 of the 650 seats in the 2024 general election. However, although this gave Labour a clear Parliamentary majority, it secured just 34 percent of the popular vote, the smallest share received by any majority government since World War II.
斯塔默于2020年4月接任工党领袖，取代了在2019年大选中带领工党惨败的杰里米·科尔宾。在2024年工党赢得大选、拿下议会650个席位中的411席之前，他曾历经三届保守党首相执政时期。不过，尽管工党借此取得了绝对的议会多数席位，但其得票率仅为34%，是二战以来所有多数党政府中的最低得票占比。
With the main right-wing party, the Conservatives, having lost support to Reform UK, another British right-wing party, Starmer's critics accused him of focusing too much on trying to win votes from Reform, particularly over immigration, rather than appealing to more traditional Labour or progressive voters.
英国主要右翼政党保守党的选票流失至另一右翼政党英国改革党，斯塔默的批评者指责他过度聚焦从改革党争取选票（尤其在移民政策方面），而忽视拉拢传统工党选民与进步派选民。
He was criticized for his handling of the appointment of former British ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson, who resigned over his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The UK's local elections in May further weakened his position.
他因任命前英国驻美大使彼得·曼德尔森一事饱受批评，曼德尔森因与性犯罪者杰弗里·爱泼斯坦存在关联而辞职。今年五月的英国地方选举进一步动摇了他的执政地位。
One person cited as a potential leadership contender, Wes Streeting, quit as health secretary earlier, saying,"Where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift … It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election".
被视作工党领袖潜在竞争者的韦斯·斯特里廷此前已辞去卫生大臣职务，他表示：“我们需要愿景，却一片空白；我们需要方向，却步履迷茫……如今已然明确，你无法带领工党迎战下一届大选。”
On the day Starmer resigned, the man widely tipped to replace him, Andy Burnham, returned to Parliament after nine years away as mayor of Greater Manchester.
斯塔默辞职当日，最被外界看好的继任者安迪·伯纳姆，结束九年大曼彻斯特市长任期，重返英国议会。
Burnham tried to return to Parliament in January by running as a Labour Party candidate in a by-election, only to be blocked by party bosses, whose preferred candidate lost.
今年一月，伯纳姆曾以工党候选人身份参加补选谋求重返议会，却遭到党内高层阻挠，而党内高层力挺的候选人最终落败。
As Starmer's position weakened, a sitting Labour member resigned his seat, allowing Burnham to run in another by-election last week, which he won comfortably.
随着斯塔默的执政地位持续衰弱，一名在任工党议员辞去席位，让伯纳姆得以在上周的新一轮补选中参选，并以绝对优势胜出。
Nominations for any leadership election of the Labour Party will begin on July 9 and stay open for a week, allowing a new leader to be chosen before the UK Parliament returns from summer recess in September.
工党领袖选举提名将于7月9日启动，为期一周，确保新任领袖能够在英国议会九月结束夏季休会、恢复议事前选举产生。
London-based political analyst Keith Bennett told China Daily that Burnham's win made Starmer's exit inevitable.
伦敦政治分析师基思·贝内特在接受《中国日报》采访时表示，伯纳姆的胜选让斯塔默的下台成为必然。
"The gradual erosion of his authority in the Parliamentary Labour Party and then the Cabinet was turning into a flood that would have swept him from office in any case," Bennett said.
贝内特称：“他在工党议会党团以及内阁中的权威不断流失，已然积重难返，无论如何最终都会被迫卸任。”
He added that Burnham's win showed that he was a more popular option with party members and the wider electorate. Should he become leader, he could offer a genuine change of approach, although quite what that would be remains unclear, Bennett said.
他补充道，伯纳姆的胜选证明，他在党内成员和广大选民中人气更高。即便伯纳姆出任党魁能够带来真正的施政变革，但具体变革方向目前尚不明确。
"Much will depend on the make-up of a new Cabinet, but above all, the serious nature of the challenges facing the country remains unchanged.
“未来局势很大程度上取决于新内阁的人员构成，但最重要的是，英国面临的严峻挑战并未发生改变。
"A change at the top gives Labour a chance to prevail at the next general election, but only a chance — much will depend on how events unfold, many of which will be outside the government's control," he said.
他表示：“高层更迭让工党获得了在下届大选取胜的机会，但仅仅只是机会而已，最终结果取决于局势发展，而诸多局势变化并非政府能够掌控。”
After Starmer's resignation made him the shortest-serving Labour prime minister in history, London Mayor Sadiq Khan was keen to look ahead. "The local election results showed people are impatient for the change that was promised," Khan said.
斯塔默辞职后，成为英国历史上任期最短的工党首相。伦敦市长萨迪克·汗展望未来表示：“地方选举结果表明，民众早已迫切期待此前承诺的变革落地。”
speculation /ˌspekjuˈleɪʃn/猜测，揣测，舆论热议
landslide /ˈlændslaɪd/压倒性胜利，大胜
imminent /ˈɪmɪnənt/即将发生的，迫在眉睫的
paring /ˈpeərɪŋ/缩减，削减
erosion /ɪˈrəʊʒn/逐渐削弱，流失
prevail /prɪˈveɪl/获胜，胜出，占据优势
