Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister After Meeting King Charles III

Monday July 20, 2026
www.thenewsdesk.ng

Andy Burnham became British prime minister on Monday after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace and was set to set out his vision for the country after taking over from Keir Starmer.

Starmer departed Downing Street on Monday, July 20, 2026, morning, insisting in a farewell speech that his two years in office had made Britain a better place.

The monarch met Starmer to accept his resignation, and Burnham arrived next for the formal procedure in which the king asked him to form the next government, and he accepted.

The 56-year-old is the sixth prime minister to enter Downing Street in the last 10 years.

“I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago,” Starmer told reporters in his farewell speech outside his central London office.

“I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved,” he added.

Burnham will face an in-tray overflowing with challenges with little time to make his mark.

AFP