Andy Burnham to become new UK prime minister

Andy Burnham is set to become the new UK prime minister after being asked by King Charles III to form the next government, according to a report by AFP. He takes over from Keir Starmer, who resigned last month after just two years in office. Starmer had led the Labour Party to a landslide election victory in 2024, ending 14 years of Conservative rule, but his popularity declined amid economic challenges.

Burnham, 56, is due to make his first speech outside 10 Downing Street on Monday shortly after Starmer's farewell. His team said he will set out "priorities for restoring confidence in government and giving Britain more breathing room" amid the cost-of-living crisis. Delivering growth and devolving power to regional communities are also expected to feature in his agenda.

An announcement on senior cabinet appointments is expected on Monday, with all eyes on who will replace Rachel Reeves as finance minister. Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester nicknamed the "King of the North," was chosen by the Labour Party as its best chance to counter Nigel Farage's anti-immigration Reform UK party.

Deputy Labour Party leader Lucy Powell said on Sunday that Burnham's mayoral experience away from the London center of government meant he understood the "bigger, bolder measures" needed to deliver on Labour's election manifesto promises. Among Burnham's most urgent challenges are a tepid economy, high government borrowing costs, a ballooning welfare bill, and irregular migrants arriving in small boats that have fueled support for Reform. Unpredictable energy prices due to the US war on Iran and a volatile American president in Donald Trump also threaten to affect his premiership.

Powell told BBC television that the new prime minister wanted to "radically" rewrite an "over-centralized" political system and an economic model that had put vested interests ahead of ordinary people. "It's about giving ordinary people security in work, security in their home, a home they can afford and live in a community that they can feel proud of and knowing that their children are going to have opportunity for the future," she said. According to the report by Mehr News Agency (MNA), Burnham's appointment marks a significant shift in UK politics.