LONDON — Andy Burnham officially became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on July 20, 2026, after accepting an invitation from King Charles III at Buckingham Palace to form a government. Burnham’s accession follows the resignation of Keir Starmer, who stepped down after two years in office amid declining party support and policy reversals.
Burnham, a veteran Labour politician who previously served as Mayor of Greater Manchester, secured the party leadership after standing unopposed and receiving backing from 379 of Labour’s 401 House of Commons lawmakers. He returns to Westminster as the UK’s seventh prime minister since 2016.
Immediate Relief and Economic Overhaul
Addressing the public outside 10 Downing Street, Burnham positioned his administration as a “circuit breaker” intended to address long-standing economic and political challenges. He announced that his government would publish a comprehensive 10-year national plan later in the year to restructure regional development, expand public housing, and decentralize political authority away from Westminster.
To provide immediate support for households, Burnham pledged a series of near-term cost-of-living measures. His administration subsequently announced a tax cut on household electricity bills, funded by cancelling a planned digital ID card program introduced under the previous administration, alongside expected measures targeting regional transit costs.
“Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again,” Burnham said in his inaugural address. “We will make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years.”
Cabinet Appointments and Policy Direction
In his first major administrative move, Burnham appointed former Defence Secretary John Healey as Chancellor of the Exchequer, replacing Rachel Reeves. Healey, who previously advocated for increased defense spending, takes charge of the Treasury as the administration balances commitments to existing fiscal rules with proposed infrastructure investments.
Burnham also declared that his first official instruction in office would focus on ending rough sleeping nationwide, outlining plans to expand council housing construction as a long-term measure to reduce social welfare expenditures.
International leaders, including US President Donald Trump and European Council President António Costa, held initial diplomatic calls with Burnham following his formal appointment, as the new administration begins setting its foreign and domestic legislative agenda.
This live broadcast of the handover at 10 Downing Street details Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first official address and the key policy priorities outlined for his administration.
Andrew Murray Burnham, New UK PM at EU Commission as Mayor of Greater Manchester © European Union Fred Guerdin/ Flickr
