Andy Burnham delivered his first speech as prime minister outside 10 Downing Street on Monday, becoming the seventh person to hold the office in a decade. Burnham, formerly the Mayor of Greater Manchester, replaced Sir Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party after Starmer formally offered his resignation to the King earlier in the day.
According to the BBC, Burnham described the moment as "a circuit-breaker moment" and promised to give the public "more breathing room." He said he would set out a new 10-year plan for Britain before the end of the year.
His first announced instruction as prime minister was to end rough sleeping in the United Kingdom, a pledge that drew cheers from supporters gathered outside Downing Street.
Burnham met with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace before taking office, following the constitutional process that has now been repeated seven times in ten years. NBC News described Burnham as the "King of the North," a reference to his years leading Greater Manchester, one of England's largest regional governments outside London.
Starmer gave his own farewell speech outside Downing Street before departing for the palace to submit his resignation. He had led the Labour government since the party's general election victory.
One early test for Burnham's government will be its approach to North Sea drilling, which analysts say will reveal the nature of his relationship with the Trump administration in Washington.
