By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Caption: Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, arriving for a meeting in Downing Street, London, on July 9. Photo: Justin Ng.
The former mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has become Britain’s seventh prime minister in the past decade after meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace.
Burnham, who took over from Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour party on Friday, accepted the appointment as prime minister shortly after Starmer had gone to the palace to resign to the monarch.
Speaking outside the prime minister’s official residence — 10 Downing Street — on Monday morning, Starmer said, “Today I am here to offer my resignation and close the book on my time as prime minister. My work is done.”
“I thank the British people for the opportunity to serve. I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved. Thank you very much,” Starmer added.
The outgoing prime minister said, “I now pass the baton to Andy Burnham, I wish him every success. He has my full support.”
Despite leading Labour to a historic majority in parliament in the 2024 general election, Starmer faced persistent external and internal criticism over his perceived failure to deliver rapid change after 14 years of Conservative Party rule in Britain.
The new prime minister then traveled to Downing Street to give his first address, telling the assembled press that Britain must show “that we can regain our stability.”
He said he would work on the platform left by Starmer – including setting up a new Number 10 north, plans to shift power out of Westminster and Whitehall, putting “the basics” under stronger public control and re-industrialising Britain, he added.
Burnham admitted he had “nerves” about taking up office, but is feeling “ready” for the role, insisting he has “legitimacy to lead things forward”.
“I’m talking about a different type of politics,” he added.
He said his first phone calls as prime minister would be to US President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, adding that the UK’s support for Ukraine would be “steadfast and resolute”.
Through the rest of Monday, Burnham is expected to begin appointing cabinet ministers from Number 10.
Burnham returned to parliament in a byelection staged by his allies with the explicit purpose of replacing Starmer, after the incumbent prime minister lost the support of many Labour MPs and a number of his ministers after a seres of political mishaps and U-turns.
With no one else in the party competing to become leader, Burnham has been made prime minister without any contest and with limited scrutiny.
Burnham, the only candidate in the subsequent leadership election, ultimately winning nominations from 379 of the 403 Labour members of parliament — of the 650 MPs in total — in the House of Commons.