LONDON (AP) — Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester and new leader of the Labour Party, took the final steps on Monday to succeed Keir Starmer and become Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade.
The affable Burnham returned to Parliament in June by winning a risky special election and was sworn in as a member on July 12, hours after the unpopular Starmer announced his resignation to end a tenure of just two years in office.
Starmer traveled the mile from Downing Street to Buckingham Palace on Monday to formally tell King Charles III that he was resigning and Charles accepted, Buckingham Palace said.
The 56-year-old Burnham then arrived at the palace and accepted the invitation by Charles to form a government in a moment known as “kissing hands.”
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Zelenskyy will have phone call with Burnham later Monday
Congratulating Burnham, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that he was “looking forward to our conversation later today,” adding that the “foundation of our bilateral relations is stronger than ever, and we will continue to make each other stronger.”
Burnham’s predecessor, Keir Starmer, who stood down earlier, was a high-profile supporter of Ukraine in its war with Russia. He said he had provided the country with “political, defense, and values-based support.”
Burnham, who has very little foreign policy experience, has said he will continue to provide Ukraine with the support it needs.
Burnham says his father doesn’t know he is prime minister because of Alzheimer’s
In an interview with The Times published Sunday, Burnham revealed that his father’s illness meant he was not aware his son is taking the nation’s top job.
“That’s a sadness because he would be (proud),” Burnham was quoted as saying. “It’s a family achievement … although he doesn’t know it, it still makes me feel that we’ve kind of done something together.”
He added that he recently visited his dad in his care home, alongside his two brothers and his mother. Burnham’s father Roy was a longtime Labour supporter and was a big influence in setting him on the path to politics, according to the article.
Markets unfazed by orderly change in British prime minister
Financial markets, however, will assess Andy Burnham’s actions over the coming weeks and months to see if there is a marked change in economic direction.
There is growing speculation that Burnham will appoint the current home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, rather than Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. Many in the markets appear to have been spooked by the prospect of Miliband at the Treasury.
Any unease would likely be felt in the bond markets, where investors are already charging the U.K. higher interest rates than its peers for borrowing purposes. The U.K.’s public finances remain fragile and there’s not much room for higher spending unless Burnham raises taxes. However, Labour was elected on a manifesto pledge that it would not raise the key revenue-raising taxes, such as income tax.
Cabinet choices to reveal much about Burnham government
With Burnham now installed as prime minister, attention turns to his choices for Cabinet, particularly the key post of Treasury chief.
The appointment will be pivotal because the head of the Treasury Department, formally known as chancellor of the exchequer, controls tax and spending decisions.
Burnham’s choice will give clues about his plans as he faces the immense task of kickstarting a sluggish economy so that growing companies and increased output boost government revenue without raising taxes.
The decision has been considered finely balanced between Ed Miliband, the outgoing energy secretary, and Shabana Mahmood, the current home secretary.
While Miliband comes from the party’s left wing, Mahmoud is seen as more conservative and has the advantage of being something of a blank slate in terms of economic positions, allowing Burnham to fully take the lead on the economy.
The other top jobs are defense secretary, foreign secretary and home secretary, who controls immigration and policing.
Burnham says UK support for Ukraine is solid
Burnham says his first calls to foreign leaders will be to U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
Burnham has spent a decade as mayor of Greater Manchester and has little experience of international affairs.
A big question is how he will get along with Trump, the unpredictable leader of the U.K.’s closest ally.
Burnham says he wants to reassure Ukraine that “I will be with him 100%” and “Britain’s support is steadfast, it is resolute.”
The prime minister faces facts
One of the most solemn moments of Burnham’s first day will be the realization that he has the power to launch Britain’s nuclear missiles.
That will become clear when the U.K.’s top civil servant asks him to write “last resort letters” to the captains of the country’s four nuclear-armed submarines telling them what to do if the civilian leadership is wiped out by a nuclear attack.
It is a duty unique to Britain, where there is no “nuclear football,” the briefcase containing targeting data and launch codes that accompanies U.S. presidents wherever they go.
The letters are placed on each submarine inside safes that are to be opened only if their captains are certain Britain’s civilian leaders are dead.
The letters are destroyed unread when a new prime minister takes office. But it is believed there are four options: retaliate, don’t retaliate, use your own judgment, or put your weapons under the command of the U.S. or Australia.
Burnham outlines his policy priorities
In his first speech as prime minister, Burnham sketched out some of his priorities, though he offered no details and said he would set out some of the measures on Tuesday.
Burnham said he would decentralize power and help make essentials affordable again under the cost of living squeeze.
Burnham said he would back British industry and “reindustrialize Britain.”
He pledged to bring the welfare bill down and build more social housing, as well as be more supportive of the underfunded education system.
He also vowed to “end rough sleeping in this country,” referring to homeless people sleeping in the open.
EU chief congratulates Burnham
European Council President Antonio Costa congratulated Burnham on his new job.
“In the last two years EU-UK relations gained a new, positive momentum. I look forward to continuing to further deepen our cooperation for the benefit of our citizens and businesses, he said in a message on X.
“The United Kingdom and the European Union are stronger together,” he added.
The U.K. left the European Union after a referendum a decade ago.
Clap for the leader
Prime Minister Andy Burnham entered Downing Street regaled by the applause traditional for a new leader.
The first time a prime minister walks through the uber-polished door of 10 Downing St., household staff and civil servants by custom line the entrance and clap for the new leader and his senior team.
It is Burnham’s introduction to the people he will live and work with, most of whom served his predecessor only a few hours earlier.
Burnham gives first speech as UK prime minister
Prime Minister Andy Burnham says politicians “need to be better” in his first speech as Britain’s leader.
He is promising to deliver a “circuit breaker” for a system he says has taken wrong turns since the 1980s.
Burnham spoke outside 10 Downing St. minutes after he was formally asked to form a government by King Charles III.
In a break with tradition, Burnham ditched using a lectern, speaking in front of two microphones outside the famous shiny black door of the prime minister’s residence.
Prime ministers typically speak from a lectern clad with the royal crest that features a lion and a unicorn, the national animals, respectively, of England and Scotland.
Burnham wasn’t even in Parliament a month ago
In order to challenge Starmer for the Labour Party’s leadership position, Burnham had to take a big political gamble.
He first had to win a seat in Parliament and then amass the necessary support to launch a bid to topple Starmer.
As internal pressure mounted in May for Starmer to resign, Josh Simons, the Labour lawmaker for the seat of Makerfield near Manchester, stepped down, triggering a special election.
It was no shoe-in.
The anti-immigration Reform UK party had recently devastated Labour in local elections in the area, which had led to calls for Starmer’s resignation.
The bet paid off for Burnham, who is well-known and popular in the area, and he breezed to victory when the votes were tallied June 19.
Dozens of Labour lawmakers cheered as he was sworn in June 22.
Starmer ultimately stepped down and Burnham faced no opposition in running to become party leader.
Burnham, known as a casual dresser, opts for formal attire
Dark T-shirts and dark jeans are typically part of the work uniform for Burnham, who is seen as a more relaxed and natural communicator compared to the buttoned-up Starmer.
But he changed out of his usual casual wear on Monday, donning a dark suit, white dress shirt and blue tie as he met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace to get the formal go-ahead to become prime minister.
Andy Burnham is Britain’s new prime minister
Andy Burnham has formally accepted an invitation from King Charles III to form a government.
Buckingham Palace has released a photo of the two men shaking hands. The ceremony known as “kissing hands” marks the transfer of power from former leader Keir Starmer to Burnham.
Burnham replaced Starmer as leader of the center-left governing Labour Party last week.
Why there is a change of prime minister without a general election
Burnham was chosen as Labour Party leader by 379 fellow lawmakers after Starmer said he was resigning. Because Labour holds a majority in government, its leader also becomes the U.K. prime minister.
Under Britain’s parliamentary democracy system, governing parties can change leaders midterm, with the winner becoming prime minister without the need for a general election. Prime ministers can be replaced if one has resigned as leader of their party, or been forced out by a leadership challenge.
It’s not unusual for British prime ministers to come to power without a broad election. In fact, four of the six British prime ministers in the past decade took the top job by winning internal party leadership contests to replace their predecessors, not by public vote.
Andy Burnham arrives at Buckingham Palace
Andy Burnham has arrived at Buckingham Palace to be appointed Britain’s new prime minister.
Burnham is set to meet King Charles III, who will ask him to form a government.
It comes soon after Keir Starmer went to the palace and formally resigned.
The king’s role harkens back to a time when the monarch exercised supreme power and chose a prime minister to run the government.
Today, the king has no political power, but the monarch still officially offers the job to the leader of the party that can command a majority in the House of Commons.
Starmer leaves Buckingham Palace
Starmer and his family left the palace privately.
While he was seen arriving in a chauffeured black car, helicopter footage did not show Starmer leaving.
Changing of the guard outside and in
The change of British leadership happening inside Buckingham Palace coincided with the changing of the guard outside.
With King Charles III accepting Starmer’s resignation as prime minister in the Chinese drawing room, the guards who protect the palace were changing shift.
The heavily choreographed ceremony draws thousands of tourists several days a week.
A military band in scarlet tunics and bearskin hats marched from the palace to be replaced by a fresh detachment.
The economy is the first item on the agenda
One of the biggest challenges facing Britain’s new prime minister is finding a way to kickstart the U.K.’s sluggish economy so that growing companies and increased output boost government revenue without raising taxes.
It’s a problem that has bedeviled every prime minister since the financial crisis of 2008. And their failure to solve it is part of the reason that Burnham is the U.K.’s eighth prime minister in the past 16 years.
The British economy has grown an average of less than 1.5% annually since 2009, compared with an annual average of 3% in the 15 years before the financial crisis.
While devising his economic plan, Burnham will be constrained by promises to reduce government debt, which now equals more than 95% of gross domestic product, the highest since the early 1960s, while not raising taxes on working people.
King accepts Starmer’s resignation at palace
King Charles III has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Buckingham Palace said.
Starmer was accompanied by his wife, Victoria.
The palace said the king “was graciously pleased to accept” Starmer’s resignation.
Andy Burnham will soon head to the palace to get the king’s assent to become the next prime minister.
Starmer offering resignation to the king
Starmer is meeting with King Charles in the Chinese drawing room at Buckingham Palace.
His teenage children are expected to join Starmer and his wife, Victoria.
Starmer says Burnham has his full support
In his final speech as prime minister, Starmer thanked the British people “for the opportunity to serve.”
“As I now pass the baton to Andy Burnham, I wish him every success,” he said. “He has my full support.”
“For all the focus on individuals, politics will always be a team sport, and the changes we’ve delivered for our country and our party belong to everyone who has fought for them,” Starmer said.
He ended by saying, “I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved.”
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