Andy Burnham delivers his first speech as Prime Minister outside Downing Street, pledging to end rough sleeping and bring "hope back" to Britain.
20 July 2026 | London, Westminster — Updated 14:30 GMT
Andy Burnham has formally become the UK prime minister after meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace, the fourth person to hold the role in less than four years and the sixth within a decade.
Burnham, who took over from Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour party on Friday, accepted the appointment as prime minister shortly after Starmer had gone to the palace to resign to the monarch.
The former Greater Manchester mayor, who only returned to parliament a month ago, headed to Downing Street, where he spoke to the assembled media before announcing his cabinet.
In his first speech as prime minister, Burnham declared: "I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction – to end rough sleeping in our country. It's about putting the right values and the right standards at the heart of government."
Welcome to the latest UK politics news — where a new Labour era begins.
🇬🇧 UK POLITICS — KEY NUMBERS: 6th Prime Minister in 10 years • 4th PM in less than 4 years • Burnham becomes PM after meeting King Charles • Starmer formally resigns • Burnham pledges to end rough sleeping • Cost of living plans announced tomorrow • 10-year plan later this year • "Biggest changes in 40 years" • Burnham is 6th person in decade to be asked to form government.
Andy Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister After Meeting King Charles
Andy Burnham has formally become the UK prime minister after meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace, the fourth person to hold the role in less than four years and the sixth within a decade.
Burnham, who took over from Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour party on Friday, accepted the appointment as prime minister shortly after Starmer had gone to the palace to resign to the monarch.
The former Greater Manchester mayor, who only returned to parliament a month ago, headed to Downing Street, where he spoke to the assembled media before announcing his cabinet.
Buckingham Palace issued this statement: "His Majesty received in audience the Rt Hon Andrew Burnham MP and requested him to form a new Administration. The Rt Hon Andrew Burnham MP accepted The King's offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury."
— Andy Burnham
King Charles welcomes Andy Burnham during an audience at Buckingham Palace where he invited the Labour leader to form a new government.
Burnham's First Speech: 'We Need to Be Better'
Finally, Burnham starts. He says he has come from Buckingham Palace where he accepted the king's invitation to form a government.
He says he is "acutely conscious" of the fact that he is the sixth person in a decade to be asked to form a government.
"I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person in the last ten years to walk up this street – the seventh prime minister since 2016 – making this a moment for reflection and new resolution.
"It requires my generation of politicians to raise our game and rise to the new challenge.
"Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again, and that is our challenge to make politics work, to make it work better. I know people at home are fed up with politics.
"I hear you and I want to be honest with you – we have not been good enough and we need to be better."
— Andy Burnham
Keir Starmer leaving Downing Street with his wife Victoria after his speech. Starmer formally resigned as prime minister after meeting the King.
Burnham: 'Biggest Changes in 40 Years' and 10-Year Plan
Burnham says his government will function as "a circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years".
He goes on: "A new political model and a new economic model.
"In the 1980s Britain took some wrong turns.
"Political power was centralised, economic power privatised, large parts of the country industrialised and they still haven't recovered.
"Many feel as though they're still in decline, and they don't have the ability to turn things around.
"And that's why we will change politics, to make it more collaborative, more about problem solving than point scoring.
"And we will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land so that they can do more and in doing more, build a new economy where we put life's essentials back under stronger public control to make them affordable to you again."
📋 BURNHAM'S KEY ANNOUNCEMENTS
- First instruction: End rough sleeping in the UK
- Cost of living plans: Announced tomorrow
- 10-year plan: Later this year — "path from where we are to where we want Britain to be"
- Government approach: "Circuit breaker" — biggest changes in 40 years
- Housing: Build more council homes
- Education: Change education system, more mental health support
- Welfare: Fair and sustainable way to bring welfare bill down
- Defence: Honour commitments to international partners
Starmer Resigns: 'My Work Is Done'
Keir Starmer has formally resigned as prime minister after a meeting with the king at Buckingham Palace.
In his final speech outside Downing Street, Starmer said: "I'm about to visit His Majesty the King to offer my resignation and close the book on my time as prime minister. My work is done."
He continued: "In six and a half years I took our party from a historic defeat in 2019, changed it so it was fit to face the country, and won a landslide general election victory in 2024.
"Since then, it has been the privilege of my life to serve you and this great country as prime minister, and I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago.
"Our economy is stronger. Our public services are on the up, with the biggest fall in waiting times for 17 years.
"Children are being lifted out of poverty every single day.
"Immigration is down significantly.
"Our defence and security are on a far stronger footing, and our international reputation is greatly enhanced."
— Keir Starmer
Starmer finished his speech by saying Andy Burnham had his full support.
"So as I now pass the baton to Andy Burnham, I wish him every success. He has my full support.
"And finally, I want to thank once again my family, Vic and our children, my team, all the staff here and across the Labour party, everyone at No 10 and across the civil service and everyone who has supported our efforts along the way.
"For all the focus on individuals, politics will always be a team sport and the changes we've delivered for our country and our party belong to everyone who has fought for them. I thank them again today.
"And I thank the British people for the opportunity to serve.
"I go with good grace. I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved. Thank you very much."
Burnham: 'Let Us Make This the Moment When Britain Starts to Believe Again'
Burnham ended his speech with a powerful message of hope:
"I will put the care of people at the heart of everything I do.
"I will give this my all and I ask you all to pull with me.
"Let's build a new national sense of unity, of common purpose and positivity.
"Let us make this the moment when Britain starts to believe again, the moment we bring back hope.
"Thank you very much everybody."
— Andy Burnham
🇬🇧 UK POLITICS: THE NUMBERS THAT DEFINE THE MOMENT
📊 PRIME MINISTERS SINCE 2016
Prime Ministers
Since 2016
In 10 years
Burnham is 6th
In 4 years
Since 2022
🗣️ KEY VOICES
Andy Burnham:
"I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction – to end rough sleeping in our country."
Andy Burnham:
"Let us make this the moment when Britain starts to believe again, the moment we bring back hope."
Keir Starmer:
"My work is done. I go with good grace. I go with a smile."
Keir Starmer:
"Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago."
✅ BURNHAM'S PLEDGES
📋 STARLER'S LEGACY
📅 TIMELINE
🇬🇧 THE FINAL VERDICT: A NEW LABOUR ERA BEGINS
✅ WHAT'S HAPPENING:
- Andy Burnham becomes UK Prime Minister
- Sixth PM in a decade — seventh since 2016
- Pledges to end rough sleeping as first act
- Cost of living plans announced tomorrow
- 10-year plan later this year
- "Biggest changes in 40 years"
⚠️ THE CHALLENGES:
- Burnham: "We have not been good enough"
- Public fed up with politics
- Britain's stability questioned
- Centralised power, privatised economy
- Regional inequality remains
"Let us make this the moment when Britain starts to believe again, the moment we bring back hope," Andy Burnham declared in his first speech as Prime Minister. The former Greater Manchester mayor, who became Labour leader on Friday, was appointed by King Charles after Keir Starmer formally resigned. Burnham is the sixth PM in a decade and the seventh since 2016. His first instruction: to end rough sleeping. Cost of living plans come tomorrow. A 10-year plan later this year. "We have not been good enough," he admitted. "We need to be better." A new era begins.
— UK Politics Analysis
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