Andrew Burnham becomes UK's seventh prime minister in a decade, succeeds Starmer with 'hope' pledge

The handover of power

The transfer of power in London unfolded through the morning of 20 July 2026. Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, 63, delivered his farewell address outside Number 10 at 11:00 local time, telling the nation, "My job is done, the changes we have made belong to everyone, I leave with a proud smile for everything we have achieved." He then travelled to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation to King Charles III, the head of state, who accepted it formally. A palace communiqué confirmed that Andrew Burnham MP was received in audience immediately afterwards and asked to form a new government, an offer he accepted.

His Majesty received the Honourable Andrew Burnham, Member of Parliament, in audience and asked him to form a new government. Burnham accepted the King's offer.

Starmer reflected on his tenure, noting he had lifted Labour from a historic defeat in 2019 to a landslide general election victory in 2024, restoring the party to power after 14 years of Conservative rule. He also used his final remarks to urge continued support for Ukraine, calling it vital to remember Britain's greatness abroad.

Burnham's inaugural message

Arriving at Downing Street with his wife and children, the 56-year-old Burnham addressed a crowd of family, allies, officials and cheering party figures. He placed "hope," "unity," and "stability" at the centre of his message, acknowledging acutely that he is the seventh prime minister since David Cameron began his second term on 13 July 2016, days after the Brexit referendum. "Britain must show the world that it can rediscover its stability: that is the challenge before us," Burnham said, adding, "We must do better than what has been done in recent years, and we will."

We have not been effective enough. We will be in the future. We will bring the biggest changes in 40 years, a new political model, a new economic model, after the negative turn of the 1980s.

He committed to delivering "tangible" results quickly on the cost of living, promising relief for Britons struggling with bills, and spoke of reindustrialisation and a decade-long plan for the country, while clarifying he was not pledging to stay in office for ten years himself.

First policy moves and cabinet shape

Within hours of taking office, Burnham signalled immediate policy reversals. His office leaked plans to scrap Starmer's controversial mandatory digital identity card scheme and to adopt a more hostile stance towards public contracts with large tech firms such as Palantir. A dedicated deputy minister for artificial intelligence development will be appointed. On social policy, he is expected to pursue a more progressive line than his predecessor, including measures to strengthen public control over certain essential services.

Cabinet speculation and key figures

Burnham entered Downing Street with a cabinet announcement expected later in the afternoon. Lucy Powell, the Labour deputy leader and a close Burnham ally, is widely tipped to become deputy prime minister and education secretary. For the critical post of Chancellor of the Exchequer, two names from the Starmer government are in contention: Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, a hardliner on irregular migration who is viewed as more palatable to the City of London, and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, whom the conservative press has nicknamed "Red Ed" and whom business circles reportedly distrust. Several outlets suggest Miliband will instead be moved to the Foreign Office, replacing Yvette Cooper, who would take another cabinet role. Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister forced to resign over controversy surrounding her home mortgage, is expected to return to government, possibly at Health, Education or her former Housing and Local Government brief.

Opposition's conditional offer

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch extended a conditional offer of support from the opposition benches even before Burnham was sworn in. She said Conservatives would back the new prime minister in parliament if he presents an acceptable plan to reduce welfare spending, reverses Labour's decision not to issue new oil and gas licences, and rules out any new tax increases. Badenoch's conditions draw clear red lines ahead of the new government's first legislative tests.