Andy Burnham has become the United Kingdom’s new prime minister, completing a rapid transfer of power in London after Sir Keir Starmer formally resigned on Monday morning.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that King Charles invited Burnham to form a government after an audience at the palace. The palace said Burnham “accepted The King’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.”
Burnham’s wife, Marie-France van Heel, was also received by the King, according to the palace statement.
The handover makes Burnham the UK’s seventh prime minister in just over a decade, a churn that has kept British politics under close watch across Europe and among allies. He is expected to address the country from Downing Street before naming his first cabinet later on Monday.
The political choreography began earlier in the day when Starmer left No 10 and went to Buckingham Palace with his wife and children. The palace said Starmer tendered his resignation as prime minister and First Lord of the Treasury, which the King accepted.
In his final remarks outside Downing Street, Starmer said he was leaving with “a smile” and “good grace,” and told the country: “My work is done.”
Burnham’s arrival was met by supporters gathering inside Downing Street, where the lectern used for Starmer’s farewell was removed and two microphones were set up for the new prime minister.
The change in government was followed quickly by movement inside Whitehall. Lord Patrick Vallance became the second minister to step down, saying: “After nearly a decade in government, I am stepping down as a minister for personal reasons.”
