Sir Keir Starmer faced Kemi Badenoch across the despatch box on Wednesday for his last Prime Minister's Questions. The Speaker opened proceedings by thanking the outgoing prime minister BBC. This was Sir Keir's final appearance in that role, as flagged in advance by the Hansard Society's Parliament Matters bulletin Hansard Society.

He steps down as Labour leader on Friday, passing the job to Andy Burnham, the MP for Makerfield BBC. This marks the first time Labour has changed leader while in government since returning to office after the 2024 election. Before Wednesday's session, Sir Keir chaired his final Cabinet meeting at Downing Street, according to Sky News.

The session with Mrs Badenoch, the Leader of the Opposition, followed the standard Westminster format: six questions from the Opposition leader, mixed with backbench contributions and questions from leaders of other parties, including the SNP given their Commons numbers. The BBC's coverage was tagged under institutional categories — Prime Minister's Questions, the Labour Party, the House of Commons — rather than personal ones, reflecting how the corporation framed the event BBC.

The Commons chamber had other business during the week. On Monday 13 July, MPs paid tribute to Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative minister, after her death. The Hansard record notes she served as Minister for Employment and, more widely remembered, as Minister for Prisons Hansard. These tributes are a Westminster convention: the ordinary back-and-forth of debate pauses to allow MPs across parties to record respect for a departed colleague. They usually happen before, rather than after, the week's more contested business.

The official Hansard transcript for Wednesday 15 July had not yet been published as of the current date, though the record for Tuesday was already available — a routine lag reflecting the time needed to prepare the official report Hansard.

The Commons agenda extended beyond the leadership change. MPs were scheduled to debate the Government's Immigration and Asylum Bill during the sitting week of 13–17 July, as it continues through the House Hansard Society. This legislation — one of the more contested items on the Government's programme — proceeds regardless of the change at Number 10, a reminder that parliamentary business and the machinery of government do not pause for a leadership transition, however significant.

The mechanics on paper are straightforward. Sir Keir remains prime minister until he formally resigns to the King, at which point Mr Burnham — assuming he has completed the internal party process to become Labour leader — would be invited to form a government. The BBC's reporting has Sir Keir's departure as Labour leader falling on the Friday after his final PMQs, with the practical transfer of the premiership expected to follow quickly.

For a governing party, a serving prime minister's last despatch-box appearance followed within days by a new leader has precedent in British politics, though transitions of this kind always carry their own character. The outgoing prime minister faces questions as a lame duck; the Leader of the Opposition balances courtesy against challenge; government backbenchers already eye their new leader's direction. Wednesday's session showed little departure from that pattern. The Speaker's opening thanks to Sir Keir were the only formal acknowledgement, on camera, that this PMQs was unlike others this parliament.

What unfolds in the Labour leadership process — and how quickly Mr Burnham moves from designate to prime minister — will shape the precise timeline of the handover. The Immigration and Asylum Bill's progress through the Commons this week will offer a first sign of how much continuity the incoming leadership intends on the Government's existing legislative priorities, though that is a matter for the coming weeks rather than Wednesday's business.