Keir Starmer announces resignation as prime minister and Labour Party leader
via The Namibian5 min read
Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as Labour Party leader and prime minister, effective upon the selection of a new leader. He stated he informed the King of his decision and believes he is not the best person to lead Labour into the next general election. Starmer has requested Labour's governing body to establish a timetable for his replacement, with nominations opening on July 9 and closing by July 16. He expects a new leader to be in place before Parliament reconvenes in September and has pledged his full support to his successor, aiming for an orderly transition. Starmer was elected Labour Party leader in April 2020 and became prime minister on July 5, 2024. His resignation means the United Kingdom will soon have its seventh prime minister since 2016. Pressure had been mounting on Starmer following Andy Burnham's victory in the Makerfield by-election and a series of poor election results in May.
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 18 African countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
The Namibian fisheries ministry has stated that the recent allocation of horse mackerel quota to Etosha Fishing Corporation was not a reaction to employee demonstrations. The ministry explained that this allocation is part of ongoing government efforts to safeguard jobs and investments following the collapse of Namibia's commercial pilchard fishing industry. Since Etosha Fishing is not a rights holder in the horse mackerel fishery, such allocations require Cabinet approval. All processes for the current quota allocation were completed before the employee protest, with Cabinet approvals secured prior to the ministry receiving a petition from workers. Namibia's commercial pilchard fishery has been under a moratorium since 2018 to allow fish stocks to recover, meaning no active fishing rights exist in that subsector. While scientific assessments show significant improvements in pilchard resources, the ministry awaits further monitoring to determine when stocks have recovered sufficiently for reopening, guided by scientific recommendations and sustainability. The ministry reiterated its commitment to balancing resource conservation, employment protection, investment retention, and the broader socioeconomic interests of Namibians.
A global cybersecurity incident, FortiBleed, may have exposed administrator credentials and firewall configuration data for 13 Namibian organizations. The Namibia Cyber Security Incident Response Team identified these organizations after becoming aware of the international threat. Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia spokesperson Mufaro Nesongano stated that while there is no evidence of widespread compromise in Namibia, the incident underscores the need for proactive cybersecurity. FortiBleed affects systems using Fortinet infrastructure, potentially allowing cybercriminals to access company networks by impersonating authorized users if credentials like usernames, passwords, or VPN credentials are exposed. Affected organizations were advised to reset administrator and VPN credentials, implement multifactor authentication, upgrade Fortinet devices, review firewall configurations for unauthorized changes, and conduct system compromise reviews. Nesongano commended organizations that swiftly implemented remediation steps and encouraged all entities with internet-facing infrastructure to regularly review their security posture. FortiBleed is associated with a Russian-speaking cybercriminal group that has reportedly stolen credentials from 74,000 VPN and firewall configurations worldwide.
Must ReadPresident Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah visited the historic Kongwa military camp in Tanzania, a pivotal site in Namibia’s liberation struggle, as part of her state visit to Tanzania. The camp, allocated to liberation movements by the Organisation of African Unity Liberation Committee in 1964, served as Swapo’s first major training and operational base. It also hosted freedom fighters from the African National Congress, Frelimo, and Zanu-PF. During her visit, Nandi-Ndaitwah toured facilities, including the dormitory once occupied by Namibia’s founding president, Sam Nujoma. The visit held personal significance for the Namibian head of state, who lived and worked in Tanzania during the struggle. She paid tribute to fallen heroes at a memorial site, laying wreaths at the graves of Namibian freedom fighters Helena Amshira, Ismael Haindongo, and Gabriel Shipa. Following this, Nandi-Ndaitwah traveled to Dodoma to inspect land donated by the Tanzanian government for Namibia’s future diplomatic mission and planted a symbolic tree named Umoja, meaning ‘unity’ in Kiswahili, to reaffirm the friendship between the two nations. These visits underscore the deep historical ties and the importance of preserving the legacy of Africa’s liberation struggle.