Starmer appointed Steward and Bailiff of the Three Chiltern Hundreds - but what does this mean?
Sir Keir given title as he departs the House of Commons and steps down as MP for Holborn and St Pancras
Sir Keir Starmer was appointed as the Steward and Bailiff of the Three Chiltern Hundreds on Tuesday as he leaves Parliament.
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Chancellor John Healey gave the former Prime Minister the title after he announced he had resigned as MP for Holborn and St Pancras, his constituency since 2015.
A by-election has now been called for a yet-to-be-confirmed date, and Green Party leader Zack Polanski has said that he will run to try and enter Parliament for the first time.
Sir Keir said: “It has been a huge honour and privilege to represent the best constituency in the country and to have taken over from Frank Dobson, who was such a great constituency MP and a member of the last Labour government."
HM Treasury announced: “The Chancellor of the Exchequer has this day appointed Sir Keir Starmer to be Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern.”
But what is the Three Chiltern Hundreds and what does this mean for Sir Keir?
What is the Steward and Bailiff of the Three Chiltern Hundreds?
Steward and Bailiff of the Three Chiltern Hundreds is an unpaid ceremonial title, and it will give Sir Keir no duties to perform.
The role exists because MPs are not permitted to resign their seats mid-term, and the Chancellor can appoint them to this made-up position to allow them to step down.
In the past, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was also named as the Steward and Bailiff of the Three Chiltern Hundreds when he stepped down from his Uxbridge and Ruislip seat.
Liz Truss lost her seat at the 2024 election; Theresa May did not contest her old Maidenhead seat, and Rishi Sunak is still an MP for Richmond and Northallerton.
Nigel Farage was appointed Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, a similar procedural title, when he quit as Clacton MP earlier this year.
Then-Chancellor Rachel Reeves quipped that she would accept if he wanted to "spend his summer arguing with a bin," in reference to no major parties humouring the Reform leader in his by-election attempt.