Outgoing British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said his decision to resign as Labor Party leader and Prime Minister was ‘highly personal’, which was taken during a family weekend at Chequers, the British Prime Minister’s official residence, with his wife and children.Speaking to the BBC in his first interview since announcing his resignation, Starmer said the decision came after careful consideration of what was best for him, the country and the government.Starmer said, “I struggled with what was the best thing to do for me, for the country, for the government. In the end it became an intensely personal decision. And that’s why this decision was ultimately made while Vic and I were away with the children.”Starmer said he arrived at his final decision during a family holiday at Chequers, where he spent two days with his wife Victoria and their children, before making the announcement on 22 June.He said, “We just spent two days together as a family and that’s when I came to my final decision. Deciding that your political career is over is a very personal matter, or at least it was for me.”The 63-year-old Labor leader also confirmed he would continue to serve as the Member of Parliament for his central London constituency after leaving office but would avoid interfering in the work of his successor.He said, “I would rather keep my mouth shut than constantly give advice about what my successor should do.”Starmer’s resignation has triggered a Labor leadership election, with former Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham widely expected to succeed him.Although Burnham is seen as the frontrunner, Starmer said he would fully support whoever becomes the next Labor leader and Prime Minister.“I have never had any personal animosity towards Andy Burnham,” he said, adding that he would “do everything possible to ensure” that the next government is successful.Reflecting on his time in office, Starmer warned that his successor would continue to face similar international and domestic challenges.“Whoever succeeds me will face the same global conflict. We keep saying, and it’s true, we are probably in a more dangerous and unstable world than we have been in most of our lifetimes. It’s not just a phrase, it’s a reality.”“That’s not going to change. And the domestic challenges are not going to change either,” he said.Responding to criticism that he spent too much time dealing with international affairs, Starmer rejected suggestions that future prime ministers might focus less on global diplomacy.Asked whether his successor might devote less time to international issues, he replied, “No, I don’t think that’s possible.”“There’s often this discussion – what’s the right balance between dealing with international affairs and dealing with domestic matters? They’re the same thing,” he said.Starmer also defended his record as Labor leader and said his years rebuilding the party ahead of the 2024 general election formed an important part of his political legacy.He said, “The Labor Party certainly could have lost, but I came forward as leader and together with others we saved the Labor Party.”When he became leader he described Labor as ‘politically, financially and morally bankrupt’ and said rebuilding it was ‘a difficult and bloody task’.However, Starmer admitted that he stepped down because Labor MPs no longer believed he was the right person to lead the party into the next general election.Despite stepping down, he said he planned to remain in Parliament at least until the next general election.