LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — July 20, 2026 — The United Kingdom has a new Prime Minister today, as Keir Starmer formally tendered his resignation to His Majesty King Charles III, bringing his term in office to an end. He has been succeeded by Andy Burnham, who was officially appointed Prime Minister following a meeting at Buckingham Palace.
In his final address from 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister Starmer reflected on his time in office, highlighting progress made on economic stability, public service reform, and international cooperation. He thanked the public, civil servants, and his parliamentary colleagues for their trust and support, noting that it had been the greatest honour of his life to serve as Prime Minister.
“I leave office confident that the country is stronger, fairer, and more united than when we began,” Starmer said. “I wish the new Prime Minister every success in building on that work and serving all people of our United Kingdom.”
Moments later, Andy Burnham accepted the King’s invitation to form a new government, before delivering his first speech as Prime Minister outside Downing Street. He outlined his priorities for the term ahead, including growing living standards, investing in infrastructure across all regions of the UK, strengthening the National Health Service, and advancing a constructive role for Britain on the global stage.
“To serve as Prime Minister is an immense responsibility, and I do not take it lightly,” Burnham stated. “My government will work every day to deliver for every community, in every corner of our United Kingdom — uniting our country and building a future we can all be proud of.”
A Cabinet reshuffle and full policy agenda will be announced in the coming days.
