The UK is set for its fifth prime minister in four years as Andy Burnham prepares to move into Downing Street and test a new governing style.
The UK prime minister turnover is set to hit a new mark today, with Andy Burnham expected to become the country’s fifth prime minister in four years. The change underscores just how unstable British politics has become, with no single government managing to settle into place for long.
Burnham is preparing to enter Downing Street after a stretch in which Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer all passed through the top job. The source says Burnham is aware of that record of churn, even if critics in and outside Labour may see the timing differently. He now faces the same problem that confronted his predecessors: public impatience and a national mood shaped by post-pandemic and post-Brexit pressures.
According to the report, Burnham wants to move fast and keep some of the leadership style he used as mayor of Greater Manchester. That could mean a more direct public approach, including question-and-answer sessions with voters around the country. The article also says he may skip using a lectern for his first speech outside 10 Downing Street on Monday, even as the formal demands of the office will require him to dress and act more traditionally in some settings.
Before stepping aside, Sir Keir Starmer is expected to give a short address from Chequers before meeting the King. His team is said to want to highlight what they see as achievements at home and abroad, including lower immigration and NHS waiting lists in England, fewer children in poverty, and a social media ban for teenage children. Supporters are expected to gather as he departs, though some attendees will back both the outgoing and incoming prime ministers.
The afternoon and evening are also expected to bring cabinet appointments, with attention on the chancellor, home secretary and foreign secretary roles. Names mentioned in the report include Shabana Mahmood, Wes Streeting, Ed Miliband, Angela Rayner and Lucy Powell. Burnham’s first priorities are expected to include the cost of living and energy bills, along with questions about how much power will sit inside No 10 and how much will be handled by his Manchester office, No 10 North. The key question now is whether Burnham can break the cycle of short-lived, unpopular governments that has defined recent British politics.
