US President Joe Biden has dropped out of the race for the White House following growing pressure from Democrats to “pass on the torch”.
On Sunday, the incumbent said he would not run for a second term, with his party now scrambling to find a successor to take on Republican Donald Trump in November’s vote.
Sir Keir Starmer has praised Mr Biden for making a decision based on what he believed to be in “the best interest of the American people”.
The president’s son Hunter has been among those to pay tribute.
Here is how we got to this point and how the situation could unfold from here.
Why has Joe Biden dropped out?
Mr Biden said that it was “in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down”.
His announcement on social media added that he would now focus on his duties for the remainder of his term in office.
He added that he would speak in more detail later this week to detail his decision.
The news came as a surprise, considering Mr Biden’s campaign chief said on Saturday that he was “absolutely” staying in the presidential race.
This came on the back of Mr Biden being diagnosed with covid and taking to his residence in Delaware to recover.
The president’s aides had previously said that only health would stop him from running in November - which could suggest that the diagnosis played a role.
However, Mr Biden has been under pressure for some time.
Aged 81, he is already the oldest president in US history.
And while he has long been gaffe-prone, his performances have become increasingly erratic in recent weeks.
He gave a stuttering performance in a debate with Donald Trump on CNN and introduced Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as ‘president Putin’.
Following the goodwill to greet Mr Trump after the assassination attempt on the former president, the polls have stretched in the Republican’s favour.
This has reportedly led senior Democrats including Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi to call on Mr Biden to step down.
Hollywood stars and party donors have also called for change.
How will his replacement be chosen?
The Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison has said that there would be no automatic coronation for Mr Biden’s replacement.
“In the coming days, the party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward,” Mr Harrison said in a statement.
He added: “This process will be governed by established rules and procedures of the party. Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people.“
This is an unprecedented situation and the Democratic Party has not - as of Monday morning - offered many details on what happens next.
Any potential candidate will need to secure the nomination from the around 4,700 Democratic convention delegates.
This includes those pledged to Mr Biden, as well as the elected officials, former presidents, and other party elders known as superdelegates.
There has already been some confusion as to whether Kamala Harris, the current vice president, will automatically be pushed forward for the top job. While she is the obvious candidate, Democratic rules state only that delegates “in all good conscience” vote for the candidate they were elected to represent, with no mechanism for defectors. And some in the party have endorsed an open nominating process.
There’s been an active debate about how to proceed among lawmakers, major donors and former high-ranking officials of the Biden, Obama and Clinton administrations, a Democrat with deep ties to the Biden administration said on Sunday.
The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal conversations, argued that Ms Harris would benefit from a competitive mini-primary ahead of the Democratic convention, because it would help her seal her bona fides as a strong candidate and diminish criticism that she’s been undemocratically anointed.
That’s a charge the Trump campaign has already sought to use against her, and could loom large in the battle for undecided voters in battleground states.
When will his replacement be announced?
The Democrats would want Ms Harris to be on the ballot having been given a vote of confidence but would not want a messy summer of competing candidacies.
The party will officially choose its presidential candidate at its convention on August 19 and will want as long as possible to be campaign their message.
Who could replace him?
Kamala Harris
Minutes after announcing he was stepping back, Mr Biden offered his “full support” to Ms Harris, the party's instant favourite for the nomination, to be the Democrat nominee.
Ms Harris in turn thanked Mr Biden for his “extraordinary leadership” and for making a “selfless and patriotic act” by stepping aside.
He said: “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made.
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Hollywood stars and donors have also backed her.
Ms Harris could potentially become the first woman president of the US and would be the obvious choice to encourage party continuity.
Gavin Newsom
From here on in, all others on the list are possible and have not confirmed they will even try to run but are well positioned within the Democratic Party.
California governor Mr Newsom is coming to the end of his second, and final, term in office and is said to be eyeing up the top job.
Gretchen Whitmer
The Michigan governor is a big name but has already reportedly joined the Harris camp.
Mr Trump has said he would like to stand against Ms Whitmer because of her “terrible” record.
The contrast in this race could not be clearer and the road to victory in November runs right through Pennsylvania – where this collective work began.
— Josh Shapiro (@JoshShapiroPA) July 21, 2024
I will do everything I can to help elect @KamalaHarris as the 47th President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/sqCkiAmCV7
Josh Shapiro
The Pennsylvania governor is a rising star but his time may come in 2028.
He has ruled himself out and endorsed Kamala Harris.
Ro Khanna
The California representative had been touted as another potential name in the frame.
But he will not run this time, he says, tweeting: “I am proud to endorse @KamalaHarris as our nominee.
“Her trailblazing candidacy as the first African American woman and first Asian American will be a jolt of energy in our party. Our party can now run on a message of hope and a vision for the future.”
