Andy Burnham will become UK prime minister after a meeting with King Charles III
The moment has finally arrived for Andy Burnham.
After weeks as British prime minister, Burnham will take office on Monday, replacing the departing Keir Starmer, and political turbulence in Britain will give way, at least temporarily, to a smoothing of the choreography.
Burnham will become Britain’s seventh prime minister since 2016 after succeeding Starmer as leader of the centre-left ruling Labor Party on Friday, in a well-rehearsed handover.
A spokesman said Burnham, in her first speech as prime minister, would say she was “acutely aware” of how many changes of leadership the country had experienced in the last decade and pledge to restore stability.
Starmer said much the same when he took office two years ago. Last month, he announced that he would resign after missteps and errors of judgment that damaged his reputation in the eyes of his party and the public.
Burnham became the only candidate in the race to become the party’s new leader, securing the nomination of 379 of the 403 Labor MPs in the House of Commons.
On Monday morning, Starmer met with King George III. He will travel miles from Downing Street to Buckingham Palace to officially tell Charles he is resigning. Soon Burnham will go to the palace and Charles will ask her to form a government. He will officially become prime minister with the “kiss hands” ceremony.
The role of the king dates back to a time when the monarch had supreme authority and chose a prime minister to lead the government. Today the king has no political power, but the monarch still formally offers the job to the leader of the party that has a majority in the House of Commons. Kissing hands is out of the question.
Britain’s parliamentary democracy allows ruling parties to change their leaders and therefore their prime ministers without the need for a general election. The next national poll isn’t due until 2029, but Burnham could call an election sooner if she wants.
Burnham will travel from the palace to Downing Street, where it is customary for new prime ministers to give a short speech outside the prime minister’s residence.
The former mayor of Greater Manchester has vowed to make politics “less toxic”, improve living standards across the country and “bring back the hope we all miss”.
“I will work to build a new policy,” he said after becoming Labor leader on Friday. “The country is crying out for this.”
Critics and supporters will soon be clamoring for details on how Burnham plans to fulfill her promises.
“Fundamentally, it will only work if you can deliver significant economic growth, because it’s the lack of growth that’s really holding the country back,” said Joshi Herrmann, who followed Burnham’s career as founder of Manchester news website The Mill.
Attention will quickly turn to who Burnham will appoint to her cabinet. Starmer is expected to make changes to his senior team, particularly in the biggest roles such as Treasury chief, foreign secretary and home secretary.
He said on Friday that he had not made a final decision on who he would place in his cabinet.
In her first speech as Labor leader, Burnham praised Starmer’s achievements and said he would “build on the foundation laid” by his predecessor.
Starmer became Labor leader in 2020 after the party’s worst-ever election loss and led the party to a landslide victory four years later. However, he was soon defeated by the difficulties of administration.
At his final Prime Minister’s Questions session in Parliament on Wednesday, Starmer defended his government’s record on the international stage, particularly its support for Ukraine, and its domestic policy achievements. He talked about stronger protections for working people, a reduction in child poverty, a law designed to stop official cover-ups in the wake of tragedies, and higher defense spending.
“I’m proud to leave this country better than I found it,” he said.
