Starmer bid farewell to the boisterous weekly Prime Minister's Questions sessions where he has traded barbs with opposition politicians and defended his government's record.
On Monday, he will step down after just two years in office, handing over power to a new Labour Party leader, Andy Burnham.
The next national election does not have to be held until 2029.
In a session that mixed sombre seriousness and political criticism with personal tributes and jokes, Starmer opened by saying he was "horrified" by the killing of the former MP Ann Widdecombe.
Counterterrorism police are investigating it as murder.
Starmer called it "chilling" that three serving or former members have been killed during his 11 years in parliament, and urged politicians to "do more to defend our democracy".
Instead of mentioning upcoming meetings with ministers, Starmer said he had "an important appointment with the television" later when England faces Argentina in the World Cup semi-final.
Opposition Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch - the fourth leader of her party since 2022 - cautioned Starmer's Labour Party that changing leaders was no "silver bullet", and recalled how Starmer had predicted she would not last a year in charge.
"Life comes at you fast," Badenoch said.
The next national election does not have to be held until 2029.
Starmer was elected in a landslide in July 2024, but is quitting after two years in office marred by missteps and judgment errors that eroded his standing with his party and the public.
He struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living.
And he was hamstrung by repeated missteps, including his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as UK ambassador to the United States.
After Labour was hammered in May's local elections, he gave in to mounting pressure from the party and announced he would step down.
Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, is the only candidate in the contest to replace him and will be announced as the new Labour leader on Friday.
At Prime Minister's Questions, Starmer said he was proud of his government's domestic policy achievements, including stronger protections for working people, a law designed to stop official cover-ups after tragedies, and higher defence spending.
"I am proud to leave this country in better shape than I found it," he said.
Badenoch praised Starmer for supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia's full-scale invasion, including by inviting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to London immediately after the Ukrainian leader was insulted by President Donald Trump in the White House in 2025.
with reuters
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