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Andy Burnham becomes UK prime minister after meeting King Charles

The Guardian World Monday 20 July 2026, 11:19 UTC By Peter Walker Senior political correspondent 1 min read
Key Points

New Labour leader takes over from Keir Starmer and will head to Downing Street to appoint his cabinetUK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham has formally become the UK prime minister after meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace, the fourth person to hold the role in less than four years and the sixth within a decade. Burnham, who took over from Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour party on Friday, accepted the appointment as prime minister shortly after Starmer had gone to the...

New Labour leader takes over from Keir Starmer and will head to Downing Street to appoint his cabinet

Andy Burnham has formally become the UK prime minister after meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace, the fourth person to hold the role in less than four years and the sixth within a decade.

Burnham, who took over from Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour party on Friday, accepted the appointment as prime minister shortly after Starmer had gone to the palace to resign to the monarch.

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Andy Burnham (PERSON) UK (LOCATION) Charles (PERSON) Keir Starmer (PERSON) Downing Street (ORG) Burnham (PERSON) Buckingham Palace (LOCATION) the Labour party (ORG) Starmer (PERSON)
Originally published by The Guardian World Read original →

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