New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham took office Monday, promising to move power away from London and reshape the country's political and economic systems. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after being formally appointed by King Charles III, Burnham acknowledged public frustration with politics and pledged a new approach focused on collaboration and problem-solving.
«We will change politics, to make it more collaborative, more about problem-solving than point scoring,» Burnham said. «And we will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land, so that they can do more.» He outlined plans to build a new economy that puts «life's essentials back under stronger public control» and reindustrializes Britain through public procurement that supports domestic industry.
Burnham, 56, becomes the seventh prime minister since 2016, a turnover he acknowledged in his remarks. «I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person in the last 10 years to walk up this street,» 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.» He added, «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.»
Burnham called for sweeping changes, stating that «Britain took some wrong turns» in the 1980s. He described his agenda as a «circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years,» including a new political model and a new economic model. At the heart of his vision is what he calls «Manchesterism,» an effort to give cities and regions greater authority over transportation, housing, infrastructure and economic development. He pairs this with what he describes as «business-friendly socialism,» combining greater public control of essential services with cooperation between government and private industry.
Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer officially submitted his resignation and passed «the baton» in remarks outside 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.» Starmer added, «I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved.»
Burnham's relationship with Washington could provide an early foreign-policy test. He has repeatedly criticized President Donald Trump, comparing the instability surrounding Trump'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 that the U.S.-U.K. relationship remains important, 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 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. 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.
Burnham's arrival at Downing Street caps a decade-long political comeback. After losing his second Labour leadership contest in 2015, he 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.»
