Andy Burnham becomes Britain’s seventh prime minister in 10 years
The Labour leader took office after Keir Starmer’s exit, with King Charles III inviting him to form a government at Buckingham Palace.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
3 min read
Andy Burnham walked into Britain’s top job on Monday after King Charles III invited him to form a government, making the Labour leader the United Kingdom’s seventh prime minister in a decade, CBS News reported.
Burnham replaced Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street just two years after Starmer led Labour to a landslide general election victory. The handover followed Labour’s decision to change leaders, rather than a national vote.
Under the U.K.’s parliamentary system, voters choose lawmakers and a governing party, not the prime minister directly. That means a party in power can install a new leader, and therefore a new prime minister, without sending the country back to the polls.
King Charles received Burnham at Buckingham Palace on Monday, where the monarch asked him to form a new government. CBS News described the audience as the constitutional step that completed Burnham’s rise to power.
A familiar face takes Downing Street
Burnham arrives in No. 10 with a long record in British politics. He has served as mayor of Greater Manchester for years, held cabinet roles in previous Labour governments and built a public profile around arguing that Britain should shift more power and money away from London.
He is also widely known by the nickname “King of the North,” a nod to his political base in northern England.
According to CBS News, Burnham’s message on Monday was expected to center on a broad reset for the country. He was expected to pledge to “rewire Britain” by trying to revive the economy and repair public services under pressure.
The challenge is immediate. Burnham takes office after a stretch of rapid turnover in British politics, with Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Starmer all making pitches for a fresh start within the past five years, CBS News noted.
Trump test looms
Burnham’s first foreign-policy spotlight may come from Washington. Before Burnham entered office, President Trump called him “extremely liberal,” CBS News reported.
Burnham has previously criticized Trump and warned against bringing America’s polarized political style into Britain, according to CBS News. Whatever personal friction exists, the U.K.-U.S. “special relationship” now begins another chapter under new leadership in London.
At home, Burnham also inherits a Labour Party under pressure from more than one direction. CBS News reported that Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, a former close ally of Trump, is gaining momentum on the right, while the Green Party is drawing progressive voters from Labour’s left flank.
That leaves Burnham with a blunt political task: prove that his reset can produce visible results, and persuade voters he can last longer in Downing Street than several of his recent predecessors.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.