Breaking: Andy Burnham becomes British PM after 'kissing hands' with King Charles

Andy Burnham becomes British PM after 'kissing hands' with King Charles III Mon 20 Jul 2026 at 9:33pm , updatedMon 20 Jul 2026 at 9:34pm Andy Burnham has officially become the United Kingdom's prime minister after King Charles III invited him to form a government during a meeting at Buckingham Palace. Unlike in Australia, British prime ministers are not sworn in. Instead, they meet the monarch to take part in an ancient ritual called "kissing hands" (once there was actual kissing, but these days it is just a conversation). Mr Burnham, 56, arrived at the palace about 12:05pm, local time, on Monday. His meeting with the king took place in the Chinese Dining Room. He is the UK's seventh prime minister in 10 years. Mr Burnham, a former Labour MP, had most recently served as mayor of Greater Manchester before returning to national politics by winning a by-election last month. He replaces Sir Keir Starmer, who won a landslide general election victory for Labour two years ago but has since become deeply unpopular in many parts of the country. Earlier, Sir Keir gave his final address outside Number 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's official residence, where he said, "My work here is done." "I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything we have achieved," he said. Of Mr Burnham, he said: "I wish him every success; he has my full support." Sir Keir then headed to Buckingham Palace to resign, arriving about 40 minutes before his successor arrived. Loading