The world's media has delivered a mixed reaction to Andy Burnham's rise to high office - with some attacking his 'nostalgia for the 1970s' and others admitting they have no idea who his is. Burnham, who became the UK's prime minister on Monday after Sir Keir Starmer formally handed his resignation to the King, has become the object of fascination for newspapers and broadcasters across the world. The self-described socialist said in his first speech as PM that he wanted to 'bring forward the biggest changes in the last forty years', citing 'wrong turns' made in the 1980s. He said: 'Political power was centralised, economic power privatised, large parts of the country de-industrialised, and they still haven’t recovered.'His populist message wasn't received well by Sky News Australia host Danica De Giorgio, who said the UK was simply replacing one 'village idiot with another.'She said: 'Who on earth is this new UK prime minister? To me, it seems as if Britain has replaced one village idiot with another. 'What does he stand for? And what hope is he talking about? The UK is in an absolute mess right now. If you want to look at an open border fiasco, look no further. Keir Starmer has presided over a migrant crisis, and they bring in the former mayor of Greater Manchester to replace him - unelected, by the way.Referring to his first speech as PM, she said: 'He says "I want to bring hope". Andy, you've got a lot of work to do, and I just feel that speech missed the mark. That would've been a time to try and unite Britain, because Britain is so divided right now.' Italy's Corriere della Serra newspaper accused Burnham of being nostalgic for a past long left behind. New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham delivers a speech outside 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, July 20 2026 Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra wrote that nostalgia has come 'the driving force of politics' for the UKThe paper's London correspondent wrote: 'Britain's future is tinged with nostalgia. Or at least that's the vision its new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, seems to be outlining.' It accused Burnham of exclusively blaming followers of neoliberalism, including Thatcher and Blair, on the woes facing Britain. Luigi Ippolito wrote: 'Burnham's lost paradise seems to be the 1970s, forgetting that those were the years of energy rationing, piles of rubbish in the streets, and London forced to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.'Union power was strangling the country. Three-day working weeks were imposed, garbage was piled high in streets and the UK was pleading for IMF help.' Back in Australia, an editorial published by The Australian said Burnham's strategy of blaming Thatcher for the UK's problems was a bad idea. It wrote: 'Mr Burnham’s looking back nostalgically to Britain’s pre-Thatcher days of the early 1970s under Labour, when “the sick man of Europe”, is incomprehensible.'Over in the US, the New York Post called Burnham a 'a self-described socialist who has pushed to reject Margaret Thatcher-era policies' in its writeup of his ascension to high office.The newspaper pointed out that in Burnham's first speech as Labour Party leader, he 'not-so-subtly ripped into Thatcher-era policies and decried neoliberal economic policies, which favour globalisation, less regulation and lower taxes. He did not mention Thatcher by name.'It also accused him of 'glossing over the economic slump Thatcher inherited.'Despite this, the New York Post admitted that Burnham 'appears to have made a decent first impression with President Trump.' Sky News Australia's Danica De Giorgio said Burnham was the UK's latest 'village idiot' The Australian said Burnham's strategy of blaming Margaret Thatcher was unwise The New York Post said Burnham is a 'self-described socialist' in its writeup of his appointment to high office