‘King of the North’ Andy Burnham becomes 7th British prime minister in a decade - NBC News

Andy Burnham, 56, was formally appointed British prime minister on Monday, July 20, 2026, after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, becoming the country's seventh leader in a decade.
Nicknamed the "King of the North," Burnham took office unopposed following the resignation of Keir Starmer, who agreed to step down last month after election defeats, policy reversals, and scandals; both belong to the center-left Labour Party, allowing the leadership change without a public vote.
In his first speech outside No. 10 Downing Street, Burnham promised a "circuit breaker for Britain" and "the biggest changes of the past 40 years," pledging a "10-year plan" later this year alongside immediate cost-of-living help and an "instruction" to end rough sleeping.
Breaking with tradition, he spoke without a lectern in the street, striking a casual tone and admitting, "we have not been good enough and we need to be better," acknowledging public frustration with politics.
Burnham reshuffled the Cabinet, reappointing Shabana Mahmood as interior minister while naming former Labour leader Ed Miliband foreign minister in place of Yvette Cooper and John Healey as finance minister, moves that have already sparked internal disputes.
Healey, the former defense minister who had accused Starmer of underfunding national security, helped precipitate the leadership change; President Donald Trump said he had "a very good conversation" with Burnham and expected to meet him soon.