Andy Burnham officially became Britain’s new prime minister on Monday, completing the formal transfer of power after taking over as leader of the governing Labour Party. During a ceremonial audience with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, Burnham was invited to form a new government, bringing Keir Starmer’s premiership to an end and marking another leadership transition in Britain’s often-turbulent political landscape.

Buckingham Palace released an official photograph showing Burnham and King Charles III shaking hands during the constitutional ceremony traditionally known as “kissing hands,” the formal process that signifies the appointment of a new prime minister.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace announced that the king “received in audience the Rt. Hon. Andrew Burnham MP and requested him to form a new Administration. The Rt. Hon Andrew Burnham MP accepted The King’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.”

Burnham assumes office as Britain’s seventh prime minister since 2016, following his victory Friday in the race to replace Starmer as leader of the center-left Labour Party.

Before leaving Downing Street for the last time, Starmer delivered a brief farewell address outside the prime minister’s official residence, declaring, “my work is done.”

The departing Labour leader, whose resignation followed mounting pressure from within his own party, maintained that Britain had become “stronger and fairer than it was two years ago,” when he first entered office.

“I go with good grace, I go with a smile and I go proud of everything that we have achieved,” Starmer said before traveling to Buckingham Palace to formally submit his resignation to the king. Buckingham Palace later confirmed that it was an offer “His Majesty was graciously pleased to accept,” the palace said in a statement.

Following Starmer’s departure, Burnham traveled to Buckingham Palace, where King Charles formally invited him to establish a new administration, officially making him prime minister through the long-standing constitutional tradition known as “kissing hands.”

Although the ceremony reflects Britain’s centuries-old monarchical traditions, the king no longer plays a political role in selecting the nation’s leader. Instead, the monarch formally appoints the individual who leads the political party capable of commanding a majority in the House of Commons. Despite the ceremonial name, no actual hand-kissing takes place.

Britain’s parliamentary system allows a governing party to replace its leader—and therefore the prime minister—without holding a nationwide election. While the next general election is not required until 2029, Burnham has the authority to call one earlier if he chooses.

After leaving Buckingham Palace, Burnham was scheduled to return to 10 Downing Street to deliver his first address as Britain’s new prime minister.

According to a spokesperson, Burnham plans to acknowledge that the country has experienced repeated leadership changes over the past decade and will promise to bring greater stability to British politics.

Ironically, Starmer delivered a nearly identical message when he entered office two years ago. However, after a series of political setbacks and controversial decisions weakened his standing among both Labour lawmakers and the public, he announced last month that he would step aside.

Burnham faced no opposition in Labour’s leadership contest, winning overwhelming backing from 379 of the party’s 403 members in the House of Commons.

The former mayor of Greater Manchester has promised to lower the temperature in British politics, raise living standards nationwide, and “bring back the hope we have all been missing.”

“I will work to build a new politics,” he said after becoming Labour leader on Friday. “The country is crying out for it.”

With Burnham now in office, both allies and political opponents are expected to press for specifics on how he intends to turn those campaign promises into government policy.

“Fundamentally, it only will work if you can generate significant economic growth, because it’s the lack of growth that’s really holding the country back,” said Joshi Herrmann, who has followed Burnham’s career as founder of Manchester news site The Mill.

One of Burnham’s first major decisions will be assembling his Cabinet. Observers expect him to reshuffle Starmer’s senior ministers, particularly in key positions such as chancellor, foreign secretary, and home secretary.

When he accepted Labour’s leadership, Burnham praised Starmer’s accomplishments and pledged that he would “build on the foundation laid” by his predecessor.

Starmer first became Labour leader in 2020 following one of the party’s worst electoral defeats and later guided Labour to a commanding general election victory in 2024. Yet once in government, his administration struggled to overcome the demands and political pressures of governing.

During his final appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions last Wednesday, Starmer pointed to what he viewed as the successes of his administration, highlighting Britain’s continued backing of Ukraine as well as several domestic accomplishments.

He cited expanded workplace protections, declining child poverty, legislation aimed at preventing official cover-ups after national tragedies, and increased defense spending as major achievements of his government.

“In six and a half years, I took our party from a historic defeat in 2019, changed it so it was fit to face the country and won a landslide general election victory in 2024,” Starmer said in his final remarks before leaving Downing St, hand-in-hand with his wife Victoria.

“Since then, it has been the privilege of my life to serve you and this great country as prime minister. I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago.”

{Matzav.com}