Andy Burnham entered Downing Street on Monday as Britain’s new prime minister, promising to shift power away from Westminster as his government inherits a difficult mix of economic pressure, political turbulence and possible tensions with Washington.
Speaking outside No. 10, Burnham said his administration would seek to reshape the way politics is done in the UK. “We will change politics, to make it more collaborative, more about problem-solving than point scoring,” he said. “And we will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land, so that they can do more.
“And, in doing more, build a new economy where we put life’s essentials back under stronger public control to make them affordable to you again – reindustrializing Britain, using public procurement to back British industry.”
Andy Burnham gives his first address as the United Kingdom’s new prime minister on July 20, 2026, in London, England. The Member of Parliament for Makerfield becomes the UK’s 59th prime minister, replacing Sir Keir Starmer, who stepped down as both Labour Party leader and prime minister in June. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Earlier Monday, Burnham, 56, met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in London ahead of his formal swearing-in and debut remarks as prime minister. During the audience, the monarch invited Burnham to form a new government, an offer he accepted.
“I have just come from Buckingham Palace, where I have accepted His Majesty the King’s invitation to form a government,” Burnham said as he began his short statement. “And in doing so, I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person in the last 10 years to walk up this street: The seventh Prime Minister since 2016, making this a moment for reflection and new resolution.
He said the moment demanded more from Britain’s political class. “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 said. “I know people at home are fed up with politics. I hear you and I want to be honest with you: We have not been good enough and we need to be better. We will be.”
Setting out the early tone of his premiership, Burnham argued for major political and economic reform, saying the country had taken “some wrong turns” during the 1980s.
“We will make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years,” he said. “A new political model and a new economic model.”
New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is welcomed by King Charles III during an audience at Buckingham Palace in London on Monday, July 20, 2026. Burnham was invited to become prime minister and form a new government. (PA Wire/PA Images)
Outgoing Keir Starmer officially submitted his resignation and passed “the baton” in remarks outside 10 Downing Street.
“As I now pass the baton to Andy Burnham, I wish him every success,” Starmer said. “He has my full support.
“For all the focus on individuals, politics will always be a team sport and the changes we have delivered for our country and our party belong to everyone who has fought for them. I thank them again today, and 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.”
His relationship with Washington could provide an early foreign-policy test. Burnham has repeatedly criticized Trump, comparing the instability surrounding the president’s return to office with the turmoil under former British Prime Minister Liz Truss and warning against importing what he called America’s polarized political culture.
He has maintained the U.S.-U.K. relationship remains important, though, pledging continuity on NATO, Britain’s nuclear deterrent and support for Ukraine.
Trump previously dismissed Burnham as the former “mayor of a town” and said he had heard the incoming British leader was “extremely liberal.” Reform UK has also challenged Burnham’s mandate, arguing that he should call a general election after reaching Downing Street without facing either a competitive Labour leadership contest or a nationwide vote.
Outgoing Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer bid farewell to office Monday morning outside 10 Downing Street: ‘As I now pass the baton to Andy Burnham, I wish him every success: He has my full support.’ (Carl Court/Getty Images)
Burnham succeeds Starmer after becoming Labour leader unopposed Friday. He enters office without a new national vote under Britain’s parliamentary system, which allows the governing party to change leaders midterm. The next general election is not required until 2029, though Burnham could call one earlier.
At the center of his agenda is what he calls “Manchesterism” — an effort to give cities and regions greater authority over transportation, housing, infrastructure and economic development. He has paired that approach with what he describes as “business-friendly socialism,” combining greater public control of essential services with cooperation between government and private industry.
Burnham’s arrival at Downing Street caps a decade-long political comeback. After losing his second Labour leadership contest in 2015, Burnham left national politics and built a new power base in Greater Manchester, where nine years as mayor earned him the nickname “King of the North” and a reputation as an effective communicator willing to challenge the government in London.
“I will work to build a new politics; the country is crying out for it,” he said Friday. “People are looking for us to deliver, and we will.”
