Andy Burnham has officially assumed office as the United Kingdom’s new prime minister after being invited by King Charles III to form a government at Buckingham Palace.
The Labour leader succeeds Keir Starmer, who stepped down after submitting his resignation to the monarch earlier on Monday, July 20, 2026.
Burnham’s emergence makes him Britain’s fourth prime minister in under four years and the sixth person to occupy 10 Downing Street in the past decade, underscoring the country’s recent political instability.
Following the audience with the King, Burnham travelled to Downing Street, where he delivered his first address as prime minister before naming members of his cabinet.
The former Mayor of Greater Manchester only returned to Parliament last month after winning a by-election that paved the way for his bid to replace Starmer.
Burnham set to take over as new UK PM
His rise to the country’s top political office followed mounting dissatisfaction within Labour over Starmer’s leadership, which had been weakened by a series of policy reversals and political controversies that cost him the backing of several MPs and ministers.
Burnham became Labour leader without opposition after no other candidate entered the race, effectively securing the premiership unchallenged.
A former health secretary and long-serving cabinet minister, Burnham left Parliament in 2017 to serve as Mayor of Greater Manchester, a position that raised his national profile before his return to Westminster and eventual elevation to prime minister.
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