‘We need to be better’: Andy Burnham takes over as British Prime Minister
Britain’s seventh new prime minister in a decade has officially started his new job. Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Great Manchester known as the “King of the North,” has taken over as leader of the Labour Party.
Burnham has promised to “rewire Britain.” One of his first moves was to break with tradition, eschewing a lectern for his first speech in front of the Prime Minister’s residence.
Burnham said he is “acutely conscious” that he’s just the latest in a long line of British leaders over the past decade.
“I know people at home are fed up with politics,” Burnham told a crowd of supporters. “I hear you, and I want to be honest with you. We have not been good enough and we need to be better. We will be.”
He added, “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.”
No election was required for Burnham to take power since the Labour Party holds the majority in Britain’s government. After now-former Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to resign, Burnham was chosen as the Labour Party’s leader, this winning him the job of Prime Minister.
Burnham’s path to power was not uncommon. Four of the past six British prime ministers got the job through an internal party vote rather than by public vote.
Starmer says goodbye
“My work is done,” Starmer said in a farewell speech Monday outside 10 Downing Street. He later traveled to Buckingham Palace to formally submit his resignation to King Charles III.
Starmer thanked the British people “for the opportunity to serve” and wished Burnham “every success,” saying, “He has my full support.”
He added, “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.”
King Charles accepted Starmer’s resignation in the Chinese drawing room as the guards who protect the palace were changing shift in a public ceremony. Not long after, Andy Burnham formally accepted the King’s invitation to form a government.
Burnham takes the mantle
Burnham will inherit a long list of challenges, from sluggish economic growth to an increasingly strained relationship with the United States amid the conflict with Iran. Britain’s economy has grown an average of less than 1.5% annually since 2009, compared with an annual average of 3% in the 15 years before the financial crisis, according to The Associated Press.
During his first speech as Prime Minister, Burnham vowed to decentralize power and help make essentials affordable again as people struggle with the cost of living, though he did not offer details on how he will do those things.
Burnham also said he would “reindustrialize Britain,” lower welfare spending and build more social housing. He also promised to “end rough sleeping in this country,” referring to homeless people sleeping in the open, according to AP.
Foreign policy
Burnham said President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be the first foreign leaders he calls.
Lucy Powell, the Labour Party’s deputy leader and a close ally of Burnham, said on Sunday that he would take “a more pragmatic approach” to North Sea gas and oil than Starmer did, according to BBC.
“I don’t think it is a change of policy, more a change of emphasis,” she said.
Trump welcomed Burnham’s arrival in a social media post, praising his support for expanding North Sea oil and gas production. In recent years, the North Sea has become one of the world’s largest offshore wind regions, something Trump has been repeatedly critical of.
Burnham also said he wants to reassure Zelenskyy that he “will be with him 100%” and “Britain’s support is steadfast, it is resolute.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
