Andy Burnham, the new leader of the ruling Labor Party in the United Kingdom, will be sworn in as the 59th British prime minister on the 20th local time.
Burnham was inaugurated as party leader at a special Labor Party convention on the 17th and was confirmed as the next prime minister.
In the United Kingdom's parliamentary system, the prime minister, the head of government, can be replaced without a general election simply by changing the leader of the majority party in Parliament.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will first go to Buckingham Palace to meet King Charles III, the head of state, and formally report his resignation. After that, Charles III will invite Burnham to the palace and ask him to form a government.
The new Prime Minister Burnham is scheduled to deliver his inaugural address at midday in front of 10 Downing Street in London.
Following Starmer, he becomes the second prime minister of the Labor Party government that took power in the July 2024 general election.
In the 21st century, he is the fourth Labor Party prime minister after Tony Blair (1997–2007), Gordon Brown (2007–2010), and Starmer. Counting from Prime Minister David Cameron, who resigned after the June 2016 Brexit referendum, he is the seventh; looking at the 10 years since July 2016, he is the sixth prime minister.
According to a pre-released summary of the inaugural address, the new Prime Minister Burnham plans to stress the need for more stable and responsible politics, as well as a future of hope and unity.
He also is expected to say that now is a "time for reflection and resolve," acknowledging the challenges facing the United Kingdom, earning recognition worldwide as an efficient government, and bringing real improvements to people's lives to give the public breathing room.
Prime Minister Starmer led the July 2024 general election to a landslide, achieving a change of power from the Conservatives after 14 years. But he faced criticism for frequent policy reversals, a lack of governing vision, and personnel misjudgments, and his approval ratings plunged.
In the end, after a crushing defeat in local elections to the right-wing Reform UK party, he announced his resignation under strong pressure within the Labor Party, which feared losing power in the next general election in the summer of 2029.
As pressure mounted for Starmer to resign, Burnham won a by-election for a seat in the House of Commons on the 18th of last month. He also ran unopposed in the leadership race and is set to enter the prime minister's office.
Burnham has pledged to strengthen public control over infrastructure such as dwellings, water, and transportation and to pursue policies befitting the center-left Labor Party, while also being a government friendly to corporations. He promised to establish a second prime minister's office in Manchester, push full-fledged local decentralization, and promote balanced regional development.