What we covered here
• UK’s new leader: Andy Burnham pledged to make politics “work better” in his first speech as the UK’s seventh prime minister in a decade, adding Britain must “regain our stability.” He also promised to end rough sleeping in the UK and to honor defense commitments with international partners. Global leaders have been congratulating Burnham on his new role.
• Cabinet departures: Several senior lawmakers, including the deputy prime minister and the finance minister, announced their departures from the Cabinet later in the day.
• Starmer leaves: Earlier, Keir Starmer brought the curtain down on his spell as the shortest serving Labour party prime minister in history, making a final speech at Downing Street, where he called it the “privilege of my life” to serve in the role and wished Burnham “every success.”
Our live coverage has now ended
Our coverage of Andy Burnham’s appointment as the UK’s seventh prime minister in a decade has now ended.
You can take a look back at the day’s events, below and read the latest here.
Former Starmer cabinet members leave, ahead of Burnham's government reshuffle
Some of the most significant figures in former Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet are resigning ahead of now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s appointments to his cabinet, expected to be announced today.
David Lammy, who was the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister, and who also previously served as Foreign Secretary, said that it was the “greatest privilege of my life” to serve in Starmer’s government.
“I would have been proud to continue serving in Cabinet. But a new Prime Minister is entitled to build his own team, and I wish (Burnham) and the new Cabinet every success,” he posted to X.
Rachel Reeves, who served as the UK’s finance minister, known as Chancellor of the Exchequer, also called working in Starmer’s government “the privilege of my life.”
“To every young woman and girl: let my time in office show there should be no ceilings on your ambitions, your hopes or your dreams,” she wrote on X, wishing the “very best of luck to my successor, Andy and his cabinet.”
Steve Reed, who worked as housing minister, said he was “disappointed” to be leaving government, calling the job “the honor of my life.”
“Keir Starmer showed loyalty to me by appointing me to his Cabinet. I make no apology for returning that loyalty. It’s what is expected of functioning teams, and I hope those who did not show loyalty to Keir will now show it to you. I’m proud I acted with integrity at every step over the turbulent past few months,” he wrote in a letter to Burnham that he posted on X.
Who is Andy Burnham's wife, Marie-France van Heel?
As the United Kingdom’s newly-appointed Prime Minister Andy Burnham approached his new home at London’s 10 Downing Street today, he was joined by his wife of more than 25 years, Marie-France van Heel.
The pair met while studying at the University of Cambridge in 1989, according to Britain’s PA News Agency, which said they bonded over a shared love of Manchester rock band The Smiths.
Van Heel was born in the Netherlands in 1970 and has Dutch nationality, according to her page on Companies House, a UK government database that shares information about British companies.
There, she is listed as a director for Iduna Infrastructure Limited, a company designed to “deliver the radical infrastructure needed to support the electrification of our transport and energy systems,” its website says.
Burnham and van Heel married in 2000 and have three children, a son and two daughters, as well as a bichon frise named Axel.
Trump spoke to Burnham after praising him for his stance on North Sea oil
President Donald Trump spoke to new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham in a phone call Monday, per a White House official.
The official did not detail the contents of the call.
Trump announced the former UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer would resign in a post on Truth Social in June, saying “He failed badly on two very important subjects — IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!).”
On Sunday, Trump praised Burnham in a post on Truth Social saying, “The People of Aberdeen, in Scotland, are dancing in the streets because the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has stated that he will be opening up, all the way, the invaluable North Sea Oil!”
Trump has been tight-lipped about his new UK counterpart. Burnham not so much
US President Donald Trump indicated last month that he barely knows who Andy Burnham is, simply describing Britain’s incoming prime minister as “the mayor of a town.”
When asked at the White House what he knew about the former mayor of Greater Manchester, Trump said in June: “I don’t know, I think I see that he was, I guess, the mayor of a town.”
“I hear he’s extremely liberal. Extremely,” Trump added.
Meanwhile, Burnham’s take on the US president has not been quite so concise.
In 2017, Burnham said he would refuse to meet Trump as a “matter of principle” were the US president to visit Greater Manchester.
In 2021, on the same day as the January 6 Capitol riot, Burnham posted on X that any UK politician who “gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now.”
Burnham has appeared to soften his language toward the US leader in recent days, saying in an interview aired July 15 that he would deal with Trump “very upfront in the same way I think he likes people to deal with him.”
Whether Burnham’s past comments will sour the relationship between the pair is yet to be seen. If the unlikely bond between Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is anything to go by, Trump could remain unfazed.
Burnham chooses to forgo a lectern in his speech, in contrast to Starmer
When making his first speech as prime minister today, becoming the UK’s seventh leader in a decade, Andy Burnham decided to forgo the traditions of his predecessors, shunning a lectern and teleprompter in favor of speaking plainly into a microphone.
Burnham said that he is “acutely conscious” that he is the latest in a long line of British leaders in recent years, adding that the country now “needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again.”
The approach was markedly different from that of his predecessor Keir Starmer. In 2024, Starmer led his center-left Labour party to victory after historic losses in 2019.
In his speech following the election, Starmer used a wooden lectern, and frequently looked down at his notes while speaking.
The lectern used was that of Rishi Sunak, a Conservative prime minister who lost the UK’s 2024 general election.
Recent Conservative leaders used lecterns custom-built for them after getting into power, though Sunak used a lectern that was “purchased under a previous administration,” according to the Guardian.
Farage calls for UK general election after Burnham pledges "biggest changes" in decades
Britain’s Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has called for a general election after Andy Burnham promised to oversee a major reset in British politics as the country’s seventh prime minister in a decade.
“Andy Burnham cannot be allowed to make the ‘biggest changes in politics for 40 years’ without a mandate,” Farage, who resigned from parliament earlier this month and is an ally of US President Donald Trump, posted on X.
In his first speech as prime minister, Burnham promised to make his leadership a “circuit breaker” for Britain, “bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years.”
Remember: In Britain, members of parliament are ultimately responsible for choosing the country’s leader, rather than the electorate directly.
Some prime ministers who have begun their tenure after the governing party elects a new leader — resulting in that new leader becoming prime minister — have sought to trigger a general election soon afterward, but there is no constitutional prerogative to do so.
Trump says Britain's "invaluable" oil and gas reserves will make it rich. Here's what to know
US President Donald Trump has welcomed what he says are plans by new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to allow unrestricted drilling in Britain’s “invaluable” North Sea oil and gas fields.
The North Sea, a body of water between the United Kingdom and Norway, is a key part of the UK’s offshore oil and gas sector.
“It is one of the Greatest Sources of quality Oil on Earth…and will make the United Kingdom, from a Poverty Stricken Disaster, to one of the Richest Countries anywhere in the World!,” Trump posted to Truth Social yesterday.
Burnham has not yet committed to issuing new exploration licences in the North Sea, however, something his Labour Party vowed to end in its 2024 election manifesto.
But he could potentially push for two major new North Sea oil and gas projects off the coast of Scotland, Jackdaw and Rosebank, to go ahead. That’s because these projects were already licensed by the former Conservative government, before being tied up in legal action.
For context: UK offshore oil and gas production tumbled in 2024 to around 1.1 million barrels of oil equivalent a day, a standardized energy measurement, from a peak of 4.6 million barrels in 1999, according to government figures. However, there is scope to increase production, with estimated proven reserves of 2.9 billion barrels, according to the industry regulator.
Bills, bills, bills: More domestic production will have little effect on energy bills, because oil and gas prices are set on international markets.
Most oil produced in the North Sea is exported, so increasing output won’t materially improve energy security either — although it could potentially support higher tax revenues.
The oil and gas industry has called for a “policy reset” to “back North Sea oil and gas over increased reliance on imports.” Environmental campaign group Uplift, meanwhile, argues that the most secure energy system “is one that relies on homegrown renewable energy.”
In pictures: Burnham enters Downing Street after becoming UK prime minister
The UK now has its seventh Prime Minister in a decade after today’s appointment of Andy Burnham.
Burnham has been seen inside his new official residence of 10 Downing Street, London, after he formally took on the role following a meeting with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.
Take a look at some of the pictures from a whirlwind day for the UK’s new leader:
Burnham's diagnosis for the UK's problems is clear. His solutions less so
Throughout his leadership pitch, Andy Burnham portrayed Britain’s politics as over-centralized and its economic power as over-privatized.
Many of his policy proposals flow from this thesis, with devolving power away from London and gaining greater public control over essential utilities at the heart of his agenda.
He has committed to establishing a prime ministerial outpost in Manchester, a so-called “Northern No. 10,” to move at least some of the political apparatus away from the capital.
That office will oversee the biggest social house building programme since the post-war period, he said, without specifying further details. Keir Starmer’s government had already promised to build 1.5 million homes in the next five years, a target it doesn’t appear to be on track to hit.
Burnham has also pledged to take greater public control of essential utilities like water, housing, energy and transport, and said he will set out 10-year plans to lower their cost for consumers.
On education, he has called for rethinking the system, so it is more balanced between technical and academic careers and doesn’t push everyone towards university.
He has also spoken about being prepared to “expend quite a lot of political capital” on reforming Britain’s social care system, which successive governments have sidestepped, but has not yet revealed detailed proposals of how to do this. And on immigration, Burnham has backed the “broad thrust” of controversial changes which would double the time a migrant must spend in the UK before being allowed indefinite leave to remain in the country.
Tie or no tie? The sartorial choices of a new prime minister keen to appear more relatable
Politics is both style and substance, both communicating and actually implementing change.
Andy Burnham, perhaps more than most, understands that the two are intrinsically linked. And he uses his style – a trademark T-shirt and jacket instead of the usual suits most politicians wear – as a way to communicate his intention to implement change.
For his supporters, it is evidence of his commitment to changing politics and making politicians more relatable to voters. For his detractors, it is evidence that Burnham is all style and no substance.
Both those dynamics were at play when Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch mocked him last month as a “pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt.” Burnham retorted on TikTok with a selfie-style video where he fluttered his eyelashes, looked at his T-shirt and said, “It’s dark blue, actually.”
Burnham wore a shirt and tie today to reflect the solemnity of the occasion, but typically plans to only do so on formal occasions such as when speaking in the House of Commons.
Such sartorial choices can sometimes seem frivolous. This very discussion about politicians dressing more informally cropped up time and time again on the political satire “The Thick of It” (whose writers went on to create “Veep” and “Succession”) which skewered the inner workings of Westminster.
Still, a politician’s style choices help to inform the public’s view of them. With his, Burnham is attempting to project an image of himself as just another ordinary guy.
How can Britain change leaders without a general election?
Andy Burnham enters Downing Street without winning a general election, which isn’t all that unusual in British politics.
Britain is a parliamentary democracy, meaning that members of parliament are ultimately responsible for choosing the country’s leader, rather than the electorate directly.
The prime minister is the leader of the party which commands a majority in the House of Commons and is thus able to pass legislation. So if a prime minister loses the confidence of their party and the party elects a new leader, then that new leader becomes prime minister.
Some prime ministers who have begun their tenure under such circumstances have sought to trigger a general election soon afterward, but there is no constitutional prerogative to do so. And so far, Burnham has offered no indication he will follow that route and call an election before August 2029, when he is required to do so.
International leaders react to Burnham becoming UK prime minister
Leaders from across the world are congratulating Andy Burnham after his appointment as the UK’s new prime minister.
Here is some of the latest reaction we’re seeing:
- António Costa, president of the European Council, said “in the last two years, EU-UK relations gained a new, positive momentum,” adding that he looks forward to continuing this with Burnham. “The United Kingdom and the European Union are stronger together,” he said.
- Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, echoed this sentiment, saying that she looks forward to strengthening the EU-UK partnership alongside Burnham. “For the security of our shared continent. And the prosperity of people on both sides of the Channel,” she said.
- Volodymr Zelensky, the prime minister of Ukraine, wished Burnham “and the British people every success in addressing the challenges of today,” saying that he will speak with the new UK leader later. “We highly appreciate the UK’s political, defense, and values-based support. The foundation of our bilateral relationship is stronger than ever, and we will continue to make each other stronger,” Zelensky said.
- Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that it has been a “pleasure” to meet with Burnham in the past. The new UK prime minister was a “great champion of deeper links between Ireland and Britain” when he worked as the mayor of Manchester, Martin said, adding that he looks forward to working together to deepen UK-Ireland relations.
- Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her country and the UK are “connected by a deep friendship and a partnership.” They have worked together on topics including migration and “major international crises, which we have always tackled with a strong spirit of cooperation,” she said. “I am confident that we will continue on this path,” Meloni added.
- Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim offered his “warmest congratulations” to Burnham, saying he was “encouraged” by his recent call for more “pressure” to be put on Israel in relation to Gaza. “At a time when many in the West have struggled to show the moral clarity this crisis demands, that recognition is a welcome and important first step,” he said.
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese congratulated Burnham and said that his country and the UK “are longstanding friends, allies and partners, united by shared values and deep ties between our peoples.”
The leaders of France, the Netherlands, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, Croatia, Estonia, the United Arab Emirates and Sierra Leone also congratulated Burnham, saying they were looking forward to strengthening their countries’ relationship with the UK.
CNN’s Niamh Kennedy contributed to this reporitng.
What King Charles told Starmer and Burnham will remain private
For such important constitutional moments, the meetings that King Charles III held with Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham are incredibly private.
Only a handful of pictures of their meetings have been released, television footage was reduced to broadcasting scenes from outside the palace and, like every conversation between a British monarch and their prime minister, the details of what they discussed remain completely private, according to longstanding protocol.
Why "buzzy" Manchester could be a blueprint for the change UK so badly wants
Britain badly needs its mojo back. Its economy is struggling and the national mood is bleak.
Could a healthy dose of hope from Andy Burnham be the antidote?
As the former mayor of Greater Manchester, in the northwest of England, Burnham oversaw a city region whose economy has grown at roughly twice the rate of the country as a whole.
The city is “unrecognizable” from the one that Lucy Ellison, a 33-year-old café manager, grew up in. She moved back two years ago after working in hospitality in the United States and Amsterdam for 12 years. “It feels like a different city,” she told CNN, mentioning the “quirky wine shops and independent bakeries we never used to have.”
Wine bars, specialty coffee shops and upmarket cafés now proliferate in a city with a distinctly optimistic and ambitious energy.
But Manchester was in “almost terminal decline” in the 1980s, according to Richard Leese, who led Manchester City Council from 1996 until 2021. Its fortunes slowly shifted through a long-term strategic plan and the consistent efforts of “several thousand people,” he said.
The city also “regained its self-confidence,” something Burnham could help Britain do, he said. While economists have criticised Burnham’s “narrow” diagnosis of the UK’s economic problems and said his economic plans won’t be the panacea, Leese argues that Burnham’s upbeat approach will pay dividends.
Read our report into how Manchester transformed and why so much is riding on its former mayor.
Downing Street has joyous air as Andy Burnham arrives to cheers
As one era ended in Downing Street, another was just beginning.
Andy Burnham’s supporters had gathered outside the prime minister’s official residence and lined the street outside, awaiting his arrival.
They gave a long enthusiastic applause as he walked up the famous road. His family watched from outside Number 11, with his mother visibly emotional as he entered Downing Street as prime minister for the first time.
Burnham then delivered a wide-ranging speech, delivered without notes or an autocue.
If Starmer’s final moments were marked by gratitude and reflection, Burnham’s arrival carried the energy and optimism of a new PM.
Following the speech, friends and family members stayed behind on Downing Street, many taking photographs in front of the black door of Number 10.
There was a distinctly jovial atmosphere as supporters mingled, chatted and celebrated. For a while at least, Downing Street felt less like the center of government and more like a street party.
Burnham's first task — deciding what happens in the event of a nuclear war
Almost immediately, Andy Burnham will be confronted with a decision he hopes will never come to pass.
One of the first decisions any new prime minister must take is deciding what happens in the event of a nuclear war.
They must write letters to the commanders of four Trident submarines, which contain the UK’s nuclear deterrent, detailing how to respond if a nuclear strike destroys Britain.
These instructions will replace those given by the previous prime minister.
"I will give this my all," Burnham says, as he promises to end rough sleeping in the UK
Andy Burnham concluded his first ever speech as prime minister with a pledge to “give this my all” and to put “the right values and the right standards at the heart of government.”
Immediately before that call to action, he tried to illustrate his ambition with a promise to “end rough sleeping in our country,” followed shortly by an announcement that his government would commit an extra £340 million ($457 million) to tackling homelessness.
Burnham made a similar pledge to end homelessness in Manchester when he became the city’s mayor in 2017. According to local government figures, homelessness in the city almost halved by 2024 from 2017, though those numbers were beginning to rise again since their lowest point in 2021.
As Manchester mayor, Burnham donated 15% of his salary to charities tackling homelessness.
Burnham to set out measures tomorrow to bring down UK cost of living
In his first speech as prime minister, Andy Burnham outlined how he plans to bring the cost of living in the UK down.
Burnham said that he will announce a 10 year plan for the country later this year, but added that he will set out some measures from tomorrow onwards to help the UK with the cost of living.
Those measures include changing the education system and helping more young people get into work, he said, as well as providing more mental health support and building more social housing.
“We will help people to live well, building a more preventative state, investing in people’s success rather than paying for failure, and that work starts now,” he continued.
“We will make this moment a circuit breaker” promises Burnham
Andy Burnham has promised to make his leadership a “circuit breaker” for Britain, “bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years.”
He says that Britain took “some wrong turns” in the 1980s and needed to do better, an argument he made throughout his leadership pitch.
Many feel as though they’re still in decline and they don’t have the ability to turn things around. And that’s why we will change politics to make it more collaborative, more about problem solving than point scoring.”
