By Ghazali Ibrahim
Andy Burnham has officially become the United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister after King Charles III invited him to form a government following the resignation of Sir Keir Starmer, marking Britain’s seventh prime minister in just a decade.
Burnham, the former Mayor of Greater Manchester, assumed office on Monday after being elected unopposed as leader of the governing Labour Party.
His appointment follows mounting political pressure that forced Starmer to step down just over two years after leading Labour to a landslide general election victory in 2024.
In his first speech outside 10 Downing Street, Burnham pledged to restore stability to British politics and revive public confidence in government through a long-term programme of economic and social reforms.
“We need a new political and economic model that gives people hope again,” Burnham said, promising to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, improve public services, devolve more powers to local communities and end rough sleeping.
One of his first acts in office was unveiling a new Cabinet, appointing John Healey as Chancellor of the Exchequer and naming Ed Miliband as Foreign Secretary, while retaining Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary.
Burnham’s rise to the country’s highest office comes without a general election, a process permitted under Britain’s parliamentary system when the governing party changes its leader while retaining a majority in the House of Commons.
The 56-year-old inherits an economy facing sluggish growth, high public debt and persistent cost-of-living pressures, alongside growing political competition from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK following Labour’s poor performance in recent local elections.
Analysts say Burnham’s immediate challenge will be to unite the Labour Party, reassure financial markets and deliver early policy successes ahead of the next general election, due by 2029.
In his farewell remarks, Starmer thanked the British public for the opportunity to serve and expressed confidence that Burnham would lead the country through its next chapter.
