Andy Burnham, ‘King of the North’, becomes UK’s 7th prime minister in a decade

Andy Burnham UK Prime Minister: Former Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham succeeds Keir Starmer as Britain's new prime minister after his resignation.

Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester and dubbed ‘the King of the ‌North’, has become the new prime minister of the United Kingdom, the seventh British PM in a decade. Keir Starmer formally resigned on Monday after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.

Burnham is officially the 59th prime minister of the UK. He has been invited by King Charles to form a government in a private meeting at Buckingham Palace.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace confirmed Burnham’s appointment, saying, “His Majesty received in audience the Rt Hon Andrew Burnham MP and requested him to form a new Administration. The Rt Hon Andrew Burnham MP accepted The King’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.”

🚨 WATCH: Andy Burnham arrives at Buckingham Palace to be appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom pic.twitter.com/0N5JeCfeXE

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) July 20, 2026

Burnham replaced Starmer as the leader of the Labour Party last week. The outgoing prime minister, in his final address outside 10 Downing Street, said that he goes “with good grace” and “a smile” and that his “work is done.”

Starmer, who was forced to resign by the Labour Party, said the UK is now “stronger and fairer than it was two years ago,” when he took office, AP reported.

In his first speech outside 10 Downing ‌Street, Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham promised to chart out new measures this week to help with the cost of living before setting out a new 10-year plan for the country later this year.

Watch my first speech as Prime Minister 👇🏻https://t.co/dIVOCfWo9G

— Andy Burnham (@andyburnham) July 20, 2026

“Britain needs to show the world ⁠that ⁠we can regain our stability ⁠once again. We have ​not ​been ​good enough, and we ​need to ⁠be better,” Burnham said while addressing the media.

The new British PM Andy Burnham said on Monday that among the leaders he would first make calls to include US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, adding that the UK’s support for Ukraine in its war with Russia will remain unchanged.

Before being officially appointed as the British leader, Burnham was asked who he would ‌contact first. “President Zelenskyy will be left in no doubt ​whatsoever that Britain’s support is ⁠steadfast, it is resolute. It will be there for him, and ‌I ⁠will be there for him personally too,” Burnham said.

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Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester and dubbed ‘the King of the ‌North’, has become the new prime minister of the United Kingdom, the seventh British PM in a decade. Keir Starmer formally resigned on Monday after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.

Burnham is officially the 59th prime minister of the UK. He has been invited by King Charles to form a government in a private meeting at Buckingham Palace.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace confirmed Burnham’s appointment, saying, “His Majesty received in audience the Rt Hon Andrew Burnham MP and requested him to form a new Administration. The Rt Hon Andrew Burnham MP accepted The King’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.”

🚨 WATCH: Andy Burnham arrives at Buckingham Palace to be appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom pic.twitter.com/0N5JeCfeXE

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) July 20, 2026

Burnham replaced Starmer as the leader of the Labour Party last week. The outgoing prime minister, in his final address outside 10 Downing Street, said that he goes “with good grace” and “a smile” and that his “work is done.”

Starmer, who was forced to resign by the Labour Party, said the UK is now “stronger and fairer than it was two years ago,” when he took office, AP reported.

In his first speech outside 10 Downing ‌Street, Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham promised to chart out new measures this week to help with the cost of living before setting out a new 10-year plan for the country later this year.

Watch my first speech as Prime Minister 👇🏻https://t.co/dIVOCfWo9G

— Andy Burnham (@andyburnham) July 20, 2026

“Britain needs to show the world ⁠that ⁠we can regain our stability ⁠once again. We have ​not ​been ​good enough, and we ​need to ⁠be better,” Burnham said while addressing the media.

The new British PM Andy Burnham said on Monday that among the leaders he would first make calls to include US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, adding that the UK’s support for Ukraine in its war with Russia will remain unchanged.

Before being officially appointed as the British leader, Burnham was asked who he would ‌contact first. “President Zelenskyy will be left in no doubt ​whatsoever that Britain’s support is ⁠steadfast, it is resolute. It will be there for him, and ‌I ⁠will be there for him personally too,” Burnham said.