Andy Burnham has officially become the UK’s prime minister after meeting with King Charles at Birmingham Palace on Monday.
Following a royal audience, His Majesty invited the Rt. Hon. Andrew Burnham MP to form a new government. Burnham accepted the invitation and, upon kissing hands, was officially appointed Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.
The announcement comes after Keir Starmer formally resigned as prime minister and delivered his final speech at Downing Street where he called the premiership “the privilege to serve this role.”
After being formally appointed by the King, Burnham is now at Downing Street addressing the nation and laying out his early plans before meeting with staff.
“I have just come from Buckingham Palace, where I have accepted His Majesty the King’s invitation to form a government,” he said.
“I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person in the last ten years to walk up this street. The seventh Prime Minister since 2016. Making this a moment for reflection and new resolution.”
“Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again…We will make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years. A new political model and a new economic model.”
He said he would use public procurement to reindustrialize Britain. “Later this year, I will bring forward a new plan for Britain, a 10-year plan,” he added.
“I can do something to give people some breathing space now, some help with the cost of living. And I will set out some of those measures starting tomorrow, including how we pay for them,” he added.
Burnham succeeded Keir Starmer and is the fourth person to hold the office of Prime Minister in less than 4 years and the seventh within the last decade.
He became the Labour leader and Prime Minister without a formal leadership contest and with limited scrutiny and returned to Parliament only one month ago through a by-election.
During the campaign, he vowed to provide Britain political stability, economic relief and “room for breathing space” by redressing the social and cost of living crisis.
