Andy Burnham, who is set to become Britain’s prime minister on Monday, will face a roster of challenges when he steps into the office as the UK’s seventh leader in a decade. The former Greater Manchester mayor was on Friday overwhelmingly backed as leader of the Labour party after Sir Keir Starmer resigned last month.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Experts say Burnham will now need to address a host issues that have felled his predecessors in quick succession. Cost-of-living Burnham’s priority will be boosting the economy and improving living standards for voters who have despaired over soaring energy and food prices since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. Burnham will have little room for maneuver amid sluggish economic growth, high public debt and strict financial rules requiring him to balance government spending against tax revenue. In a speech on Friday, Burnham said he wanted to “take us to a country where life is more affordable”. He has championed devolving power to regional hubs as a lever for growth. “It’s not just about driving local growth, it’s about turning these places around so they drive national growth,” explained Philip McCann from the research organization Productivity Institute. Burnham has said he will support smaller businesses, “reindustrialization” and greater public control over water, transport and energy. The Financial Times reported he could ease restrictions on oil and gas drilling in the North Sea to reduce energy bills.