Andy Burnham is set to become UK prime minister on Monday after winning Labour’s leadership race and securing support from the party’s MPs.
Andy Burnham is set to become UK prime minister on Monday, following his win in the Labour leadership race and the backing of the party’s MPs. He took over as Labour leader on Friday, but the formal handover of power will not happen until three days later.
The transfer will begin when Sir Keir Starmer meets King Charles and formally resigns as prime minister. The King will then meet Burnham and ask him to form a government. If he accepts, Burnham will officially take office before heading to Downing Street, where he is likely to speak outside No. 10.
Burnham’s rise comes after a rough stretch for Labour in government. Starmer had won a landslide general election two years ago, but public support weakened quickly after a series of policy reversals and missteps. Labour MPs were further shaken when Reform UK won heavily in May’s local elections, raising fears about Nigel Farage’s prospects at the next general election.
Burnham had long wanted the top job, but he could only challenge as a sitting MP. He returned to Parliament a month ago in a by-election, and his defeat of the Reform candidate helped convince many Labour MPs that he was the right choice. Senior figures, including former health secretary Wes Streeting, stepped aside and backed him, and he has taken the leadership without a contest.
He has said he will broadly stick to Labour’s 2024 election platform, including no rise in the main rates of income tax, VAT or National Insurance. At the same time, he has outlined some of his own priorities, including shifting more power away from Parliament to councils and local authorities, with greater control over housing and transport. He also wants a new Downing Street team based in Manchester, more than 150 miles north of London.
Burnham still has important posts to fill, including chancellor, home secretary and foreign secretary, with no cabinet appointments confirmed yet. James Purnell has already been named as chief of staff, and Louise Haigh is also expected to take a role in his Downing Street operation. For now, the biggest question is who he will choose as chancellor to replace Rachel Reeves. The takeaway: Burnham is about to take power quickly, but the real test is whether he can turn a Labour reset into stable government.
