London (AFP) – Andy Burnham became British prime minister Monday after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace and was set to set out his vision for the country after taking over from Keir Starmer.
Issued on: 20/07/2026 - 13:16Modified: 20/07/2026 - 13:45
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Starmer departed Downing Street on Monday morning, insisting in a farewell speech his two years in office had made Britain a better place.The monarch met Starmer to accept his resignation and Burnham arrived next for the formal procedure in which the king asked him to form the next government and he accepted.The 56-year-old is the sixth prime minister to enter Downing Street in the last 10 years."I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago," Starmer told reporters in his farewell speech outside his central London office."I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved," he added.Burnham will face an in-tray overflowing with challenges with little time to make his mark.In an interview with The Times published late Sunday, Burnham said he wanted to draw a line under a decade of political turmoil.
Burnham takes over just two years after Starmer led Labour to power in a landslide election victory © Henry NICHOLLS / POOL/AFP
