Outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that he will resign as leader of the Labour Party, paving the way for a new prime minister to take office before Parliament reconvenes in September.

Speaking outside 10 Downing Street on Monday morning, Starmer said he had accepted his party’s verdict on his leadership and would step aside after concluding that he was no longer the best person to lead Labour into the next general election.

“The question my party has been asking is whether I am best placed to lead it into the next general election,” Starmer said.

“I have heard the answer to that question and accept that answer with good grace.”

He stressed that every decision he had taken while in office had been guided by what he believed was best for Britain.

Starmer revealed that he had informed King Charles III of his decision during a phone conversation earlier in the day.

The King was at Highgrove House, his private estate in Gloucestershire, when the call took place.

The outgoing Labour leader said he had asked the party’s National Executive Committee to establish a timetable for the leadership contest, with nominations scheduled to open on July 9 and the process expected to conclude before Parliament’s summer recess.

The US Government through the State Department will offer a “premium” expedited service for foreigners seeking business or tourist visas to come to the United States that will set applicants back $750, including the initial fee of $185, it was learnt.

In a notice to be published in the Federal Register, the department said it will unveil a pilot programme that will allow visa applicants to pay the $750 to schedule an appointment for an interview within 10 days of the payment at select US embassies and consulates.

The pilot programme will run from July 1 to December 31, according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press and a State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the programme has not yet been announced.

According to the report, the move is a potential effort to ease conditions caused by the Trump administration’s push to make entering the US more difficult.

The offer includes expedited interview options for B1 and B2 visa applicants. B1 and B2 visas are commonly used by international travelers visiting the U.S. for business or tourism.

• Philippines police

At least three people were killed and five others injured on Monday in a rare school shooting incident in the central Philippines, police said.

Police have yet to establish a motive for the shooting, which took place at around 9 am (0100 GMT) at San Jose National High School in Leyte province’s Tacloban City.

The victims were immediately transported to nearby medical facilities for treatment and appropriate medical intervention,” regional police said in a statement.

Government broadcaster PTV reported that two people — both reportedly students — had been arrested, with one apprehended at the scene.

“The PNP has already caught the suspects. They acted quickly,” presidential spokeswoman Claire Castro told reporters.

While school shootings are a rarity in the Philippines, targeted gun violence is a fixture of provincial politics.