Andy Burnham, the Leader of the UK's Labour Party, officially took charge as the country's seventh prime minister in a decade, according to Bloomberg. Burnham also met with King Charles before he was officially sworn in.
The former Member of Parliament for Makerfield succeeds his predecessor Keir Starmer, who resigned from the role on July 20, 2026.
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Burnham, in his remarks at 10 Downing Street, stated that he will be setting out cost of living measures the following day. He added that his administration will build more council homes and restore stronger public control for essential goods and services. He also said that his government will meet fiscal rules.
The UK has seen seven prime minister occupy the position at 10 Downing Street, with David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, and Keir Starmer resigning from the position due to economic instability after Brexit, scandals within their respective political parties and the unpopularity of their policies with the country's polity.
As per YouGov, Starmer's approval rating among the general public in the UK was at 23%, compared to the 69% who were unfavourable regarding his tenure, as per June data leading up to his resignation.
Before winning the MP election for Makerfield in June 2026, Burnham served as the Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017-2020.
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The UK Prime Minister politically identifies as a socialist, with his ideology having been described as 'Manchesterism' which involves a rejection of the neoliberal idea of 'trickle-down' economics and an emphasis on "business-friendly socialism" in Burnham's own words. This ideology involves the transference of the benefits of economic development into local communities.
A notable example of this economic policy, according to him, includes his push to revive public control of buses in the Greater Manchester area. Burnham has also emphasised on devolution over centralisation of political power, especially on the fiscal level.
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