British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would leave office having left the United Kingdom "in a better state than it was" when he took responsibility, during his final question session in the House of Commons, where he faced questions and criticism, and even received some praise from MPs on Wednesday.

Starmer, who will step down next week, bid farewell to the raucous weekly Prime Minister's Questions, during which he traded sharp criticisms with opposition MPs and defended his government's record.

On Monday, Starmer will resign as prime minister after losing the support of his Labour Party, handing power to the new Labour leader, Andy Burnham.

Starmer, who spent six years as Labour leader and two years as prime minister, said: "Every prime minister knows, when they take the torch, that the day will come when they have to pass it on to someone else."

He added: "This is the end of my political career," although he intends to remain for now as a backbench MP.

Britain's parliamentary democracy allows ruling parties to change their leaders, and thus prime ministers, without needing to call a general election. The next general election is not required until 2029.