JULY 18, 2026

Andy Burnham set to become UK Prime Minister on Monday, the seventh in a decade

Andy Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor, is set to become the United Kingdom's prime minister on Monday after being confirmed as the new leader of the governing Labour Party. Burnham received support from 349 of 401 Labour lawmakers and was announced leader at a special party conference on Friday. He replaces Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation on June 22 following a series of political difficulties.

Burnham's ascent to No. 10 Downing Street follows a process built into Britain's parliamentary system: because Labour holds a majority in the House of Commons, the party's newly elected leader automatically becomes prime minister, without requiring a general election. The formal handover takes place Monday, when Starmer will deliver a farewell address before traveling to Buckingham Palace to resign, after which King Charles III will ask Burnham to form a government in a ceremony known as the "Kissing of Hands." Burnham will then become the 59th person to hold the office.

Burnham was the sole candidate in the Labour leadership contest, having secured the backing of well over the required one-fifth of Labour's House of Commons lawmakers. The next general election is not required until 2029, five years after Labour's landslide 2024 victory.

According to the Associated Press, Starmer's resignation was driven by a combination of factors: heavy Labour losses in May's local elections, sustained pressure from lawmakers, and most notably his decision to appoint a man with close ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as Britain's ambassador to the United States. Burnham's entry into Parliament via a special election win was described by AP as the event that prompted Starmer to give way.