Andy Burnham is the UK's new Prime Minister
Sir Keir has resigned and Andy Burnham has been to Buckingham Palace to be officially named as prime minister
Last updated 20th Jul 2026
Andy Burnham has been to Buckingham Palace to meet the King and officially become the UK’s new Prime Minister.
Mr Burnham comes into power claiming to have a decade-long plan to change the UK and hinting at cuts to personal taxes.
In his final appearance in Downing Street, Sir Keir Starmer said “my work is done” and he was leaving the country “stronger and fairer” than when he took office just two years ago.
Andy Burnham used his first speech as Prime Minister in Downing Street to promise to take power our of Westminster and give the public greater control over “life’s essentials”.
Speaking without the lectern used by his predecessors, Mr Burnham said he would set out help to address the cost-of-living squeeze.
In his first promise as Prime Minister he said he would “end rough sleeping in our country”.
Mr Burnham, who was met with cheers by supporters in Downing Street, said: “I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person in the last 10 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.”
He concluded his first speech as Prime Minister by urging people to “pull with me” to “build a new national sense of unity, of common purpose and positivity”.