Andy Burnham on Monday became the United Kingdom’s 59th Prime Minister after King Charles III formally invited him to form a new government at Buckingham Palace, ending Sir Keir Starmer’s tenure.
Burnham arrived at Buckingham Palace shortly after Starmer formally tendered his resignation to the King.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said, “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.”
Although the Palace traditionally describes the appointment as “kissing hands”, the ceremony is understood to have involved a handshake, reports BBC.
In his first remarks as Prime Minister, Burnham promised a fresh start for the country. “We need to be better,” he said, adding that his government would unveil a 10-year plan for Britain later this year, reports BBC.
“This moment will be a circuit breaker for Britain,” Burnham said, announcing that measures to tackle the cost-of-living crisis would begin from Tuesday. He also pledged to end rough sleeping, build more council homes and honour Britain’s defence commitments.
Burnham, the fifth British Prime Minister in four years, is expected to begin appointing his Cabinet later in the day. Earlier, Starmer formally resigned after meeting the King. In his farewell address outside 10 Downing Street, he said he was leaving office “with good grace” and “a smile”.
With Starmer’s departure, Britain now has a record nine living former prime ministers: John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer. They are expected to appear together at the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in London later this year.
