In the first week of office, any new British prime minister receives a barrage of proposals and policies from every conceivable angle. This arguably is even worse when the new leader is not elected, and is less tied to manifesto commitments. And so it is for the fresh new occupant of 10 Downing Street. Andy Burnham is the seventh UK prime minister in the past 10 years and will hope to hold office longer than his predecessors. Yet he has this burden of expectation. Everyone wants their issue prioritized, funded, and sorted.

Andy Burnham’s first few days in Downing Street involved extensive introductory phone calls with world leaders. However, the UK’s new prime minister wants the focus of his period…

LONDON, July 26 — New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first week in office signalled a shift in focus and style for the centre-left Labour government as he sought a clean...