Former mayor Andy Burnham has been appointed as Britain’s new Prime Minister, following a rapid leadership change within the ruling Labour Party.
Labour faced a setback in local elections held in May, triggering internal tensions. Soon after, senior party figure Burnham contested a parliamentary by-election and won by a large margin, strengthening calls for a change at the top.
As criticism of Prime Minister and party leader Keir Starmer grew, multiple sections within the party urged Burnham to take over. Starmer subsequently announced his resignation from both the Labour leadership and the premiership.
At a party meeting that followed, Burnham was chosen unopposed as Labour leader, backed by 379 of the party’s 403 MPs. Starmer formally submitted his resignation to King Charles, who then invited Burnham to form a new government. Burnham accepted and later addressed the public outside the Prime Minister’s official residence.
Burnham becomes the UK’s seventh Prime Minister in the 10 years since 2016. He previously served as the Mayor of Greater Manchester and is known by the nickname “King of the North.”
