Andy Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister After Meeting King Charles III

• Andy Burnham officially became Britain's 7th prime minister since 2016 after an audience with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace
• Burnham pledged to end street sleeping, restore political stability, and deliver what he called a 'circuit breaker' for a broken system
• Outgoing PM Keir Starmer left Downing Street saying 'my work is done' after resigning under pressure from his own Labour Party

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Andy Burnham was appointed Britain's new prime minister on Monday after King Charles III asked him to form a government during a formal audience at Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace confirmed in a statement that "the King 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." The palace also released a photograph of the king and Burnham shaking hands, marking the official transfer of power.

According to AP, Burnham then travelled to 10 Downing Street, where he delivered his first address as prime minister, promising to end rough sleeping among the homeless and to act as a "circuit breaker" for what he described as a political system that has gone in the wrong direction since the 1980s.

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"This is a moment for reflection and new resolution," he said. "It requires my generation of politicians to raise our game and rise to the new challenge. Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again, and that is our challenge to make politics work, to make it work better."

Burnham acknowledged the weight of the moment, saying he was "acutely conscious" of how many times the country had seen a new leader walk through the same door.

Starmer exits after two years in office

Earlier on Monday, outgoing prime minister Keir Starmer gave a brief farewell speech outside Downing Street before heading to the palace to tender his resignation. Starmer, who was forced out by his own party, told supporters that Britain is "stronger and fairer than it was two years ago."

"I go with good grace, I go with a smile and I go proud of everything that we have achieved," Starmer said.

Starmer had led Labour to a landslide general election victory in 2024 after taking over a party recovering from a heavy defeat in 2019. His time in government was, however, cut short by a series of missteps and poor judgement calls that weakened his standing within the party and among the public.

Burnham's pledge to change British politics

Burnham, who previously served as mayor of Greater Manchester, became Labour leader on Friday after winning nominations from 379 of the 403 Labour members of parliament in an uncontested leadership race.

He has promised to make politics "less toxic," raise living standards and "bring back the hope we have all been missing." As prime minister, he is expected to shake up the cabinet, particularly in the roles of Treasury chief, foreign secretary and home secretary.

Burnham is the seventh person to hold the office of prime minister since 2016. Under Britain's parliamentary system, governing parties can change their leader, and therefore the prime minister, without triggering a general election. The next scheduled national vote is not due until 2029.

UK prime minister Keir Starmer resigns

Legit.ng earlier reported that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has officially resigned as both head of government and leader of the Labour Party, confirming the end of his tenure in an emotional address delivered outside 10 Downing Street on Monday, June 22.

In his farewell statement, Starmer said he accepted the verdict of his party with “good grace”, noting that internal sentiment made it clear he was no longer the preferred figure to lead Labour into the next general election.