New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham assumed power Monday morning, vowing to move authority away from London as his new government confronts economic strain, political instability and potential friction with Washington.
“We will change politics, to make it more collaborative, more about problem-solving than point scoring,” Burnham said outside 10 Downing Street. “And we will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land, so that they can do more.
“And, in doing more, build a new economy where we put life’s essentials back under stronger public control to make them affordable to you again – reindustrializing Britain, using public procurement to back British industry.”
Burnham, 56, was greeted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, London, on Monday before his swearing-in and first remarks. King Charles formally requested that Burnham form a new administration, and Burnham accepted.
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“I have just come from Buckingham Palace, where I have accepted His Majesty the King’s invitation to form a government,” Burnham’s brief introduction began. “And in doing so, I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person in the last 10 years to walk up this street – the seventh prime minister since 2016, making this a moment for reflection and new resolution.
“It requires my generation of politicians to raise our game and rise to the new challenge. Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again, and that is our challenge to make politics work, to make it work better,” he said.
“I know people at home are fed up with politics. I hear you and I want to be honest with you: We have not been good enough, and we need to be better. We will be.”
Burnham called for sweeping political and economic changes.
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“We will make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years,” he said. “A new political model and a new economic model.
“In the 1980s, Britain took some wrong turns. Political power was centralized, economic power privatized, large parts of the country deindustrialized, and they still haven’t recovered.
“Many feel as though they’re still in decline, and they don’t have the ability to turn things around.”
Burnham vowed to “bring forward a new plan for Britain.”
“A 10-year plan, laying out a path from where we are now to where I believe we all want Britain to be – wherever we’re coming from, whatever party we support,” he said. “But I can do something to give people some breathing space now, some help with the cost of living. And I will set out some of those measures starting tomorrow, including how we pay for them.
“We will help more young people into work by changing the education system and giving them more support, more mental health support, and we will build more council homes. That is the fair and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down to meet our fiscal rules and to honor our commitments on defense to our international partners.”
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His first order of business in office will be “to end rough sleeping in our country.”
“It’s about putting the right values and the right standards at the heart of government,” he concluded. “I will put the care of people at the heart of everything I do.
“I will give this my all and I ask you all to pull with me. Let’s build a new national sense of unity, of common purpose and positivity. Let us make this the moment when Britain starts to believe again, the moment we bring back hope. Thank you very much, everybody.”
Outgoing Keir Starmer officially submitted his resignation and passed “the baton” in remarks outside 10 Downing Street.
“As I now pass the baton to Andy Burnham, I wish him every success,” Starmer said. “He has my full support.
“For all the focus on individuals, politics will always be a team sport and the changes we have delivered for our country and our party belong to everyone who has fought for them. I thank them again today, and I thank the British people for the opportunity to serve.
“I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved.”
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Burnham’s relationship with Washington could provide an early foreign-policy test. He has repeatedly criticized Trump, comparing the instability surrounding the president’s return to office with the turmoil under former British Prime Minister Liz Truss and warning against importing what he called America’s polarized political culture.
He has maintained that the U.S.-U.K. relationship remains important, though, pledging continuity on NATO, Britain’s nuclear deterrent and support for Ukraine.
Trump previously dismissed Burnham as the former “mayor of a town” and said he had heard the incoming British leader was “extremely liberal.” Reform UK has also challenged Burnham’s mandate, arguing that he should call a general election after reaching Downing Street without facing either a competitive Labor leadership contest or a nationwide vote.
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Burnham succeeds Starmer after becoming Labor leader unopposed Friday. He enters office without a new national vote under Britain’s parliamentary system, which allows the governing party to change leaders midterm. The next general election is not required until 2029, though Burnham could call one earlier.
At the center of his agenda is what he calls “Manchesterism” — an effort to give cities and regions greater authority over transportation, housing, infrastructure and economic development. He has paired that approach with what he describes as “business-friendly socialism,” combining greater public control of essential services with cooperation between government and private industry.
Burnham’s arrival at Downing Street caps a decade-long political comeback. After losing his second Labor leadership contest in 2015, Burnham left national politics and built a new power base in Greater Manchester, where nine years as mayor earned him the nickname “King of the North” and a reputation as an effective communicator willing to challenge the government in London.
“I will work to build a new politics; the country is crying out for it,” he said Friday. “People are looking for us to deliver, and we will.”
Reuters and Fox News’ Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.
