Andy Burnham will officially take office as the United Kingdom’s prime minister on Monday, 20 July, succeeding Keir Starmer after being elected leader of the governing Labour Party.
Burnham will become the UK’s 59th prime minister and the eighth from the Labour Party.
The leadership transition comes a decade after the 2016 Brexit referendum, during which Britain has seen a rapid turnover of prime ministers. Burnham will become the seventh occupant of 10 Downing Street since the vote to leave the European Union, following his formal appointment by King Charles III.
Before Burnham is invited to form a government, Starmer will travel to Buckingham Palace to formally tender his resignation to the King.
Burnham will be the fourth prime minister to serve during the reign of Charles III, following Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, and Keir Starmer. By comparison, Queen Elizabeth II worked with 15 prime ministers during her 70-year reign.
Starmer announced on 22 June that he would step down as Labour leader and prime minister after a series of domestic political scandals and heavy Labour losses in May’s by-elections led to a sharp decline in his popularity. His position also came under increasing pressure from Labour MPs and members of his own cabinet.
Burnham was the only candidate to contest the Labour leadership. He secured the backing of 379 members of the party’s 403-seat parliamentary group, comfortably exceeding the 81 nominations required under Labour’s rules.
His overwhelming support among Labour MPs effectively ruled out any rival candidate from entering the contest.
Burnham also secured unanimous support from all 11 national trade unions affiliated with the Labour Party, far surpassing the party’s requirement that leadership candidates receive endorsements from at least three affiliated organizations.
The incoming prime minister will begin forming his government on Monday. While few cabinet appointments have been officially confirmed, British media reports suggest current Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to become chancellor, replacing Rachel Reeves as finance minister.
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