Andy Burnham will be sworn in as Britain’s prime minister on Monday, becoming the sixth person to hold the office since 2016 as he succeeds Keir Starmer, who is stepping down two years after leading Labour to a landslide election win.
Burnham, 56, was summoned by King Charles III to form a government and is set to deliver his first speech outside 10 Downing Street shortly after Starmer’s farewell remarks. In an interview with The Times published Sunday, Burnham said he wanted to break from a decade of political instability, telling the paper: “What we’ve been doing hasn’t been working… I am going to try and do things in a different way.
“His first address is expected to focus on restoring public confidence in government, tackling the cost-of-living crisis, boosting economic growth and devolving power to regional authorities. Senior cabinet appointments, including a replacement for Rachel Reeves as chancellor, are also expected Monday.
The former Greater Manchester mayor, known as the “King of the North,” was brought in by Labour after Starmer’s resignation last month amid pressure to counter Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party. Deputy leader Lucy Powell said his experience outside Westminster equips him for the “bigger, bolder measures” the party’s manifesto requires.
Burnham inherits a sluggish economy, high borrowing costs, a growing welfare bill and small-boat migration — all issues fuelling support for Reform — alongside external pressures from the US-Iran conflict and unpredictable US policy under President Trump. He told The Times he would prioritise “early investment, early intervention” over “paying for failure,” and promised swift measures to ease cost-of-living pressure
