LONDON, July 23, 2026 — Andy Burnham has become prime minister of the United Kingdom after King Charles III formally invited the Labour leader to form a government at Buckingham Palace.
Burnham succeeds Keir Starmer, who resigned after serving just over two years in office. The former mayor of Greater Manchester becomes Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade, reflecting a prolonged period of political turnover since the Brexit referendum.
In his first address from Downing Street, Burnham pledged to ease cost-of-living pressures and pursue a long-term programme focused on economic renewal, housing, education, social care and mental-health services. He also promised to decentralize political po…
