World News for Students of English

21-05-2026 07:00

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing a severe political crisis following disastrous local election results and a wave of government resignations.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned and wrote a harsh letter stating that the government lacks a clear vision and direction.

Streeting openly confirmed he will run to replace Starmer as leader of the Labour Party, which would automatically make him the next prime minister due to the party’s large parliamentary majority.

This political chaos leaves Starmer as a lame duck leader and creates big problems for EU-UK relations. The UK was just about to agree to a new food export deal, which requires Britain to follow EU standards. This negotiation is sensitive due to the rising popularity of Nigel Farage’s anti-EU party.

Journalists note that any British leader faces a difficult economic reality, as post-Brexit data shows that UK investment has dropped by 18%, GDP is down by up to 8%, and some surveys suggest that 55% of British people actually want to rejoin the European Union.

Difficult words: disastrous (extremely bad, unsuccessful), resignation (the official act of telling your boss or the public that you are leaving your job), lame duck (a leader who has very little power because they are finishing their time in office or are about to lose their job).

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