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LONDON: The United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, took power on Monday, promising a 10-year plan to ease cost-of-living pressures and restore political stability, signalling a leftward tilt for his ruling Labour Party.
Burnham, 56, became head of government after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, succeeding Keir Starmer. Accompanied by his wife, Marie-France van Heel, Burnham arrived at 10 Downing Street to resounding applause and acknowledged he was the country’s seventh prime minister since 2016.
Britain needed to show the world it could “regain stability”, he said, vowing to create “a new political model” and “build a new economy”. Naming short-term goals, Mr Burnham promised to “give people some breathing space now” with cost-of-living help starting Tuesday.
He also said his first instruction would be a pledge to “end rough sleeping”. Other announcements included a vague promise to re-industrialise Britain through public procurement and build more public housing.
“In the 1980s, Britain took some wrong turns,” Mr Burnham said, pledging to decentralise power and “put life’s essentials back under stronger public control to make them affordable.”
Shortly after taking office, Burnham had a phone call with US President Donald Trump. Earlier, Burnham told broadcasters he would reassure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later on Monday, saying, “I will be with him 100 per cent.”
Starmer departed Downing Street earlier, insisting his short time in office made Britain better. “I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago,” he said.
Burnham, nicknamed the “King of the North” as Greater Manchester’s former mayor, was parachuted in after Starmer resigned June 22.
Lawmakers view him as the party’s best chance of reining in Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party.
He faces an overflowing in-tray, including a tepid economy, a ballooning welfare bill, and unpredictable energy prices linked to the US-Iran war. Despite opposition calls for a snap election, Burnham has little time to manoeuvre before the nationwide election due in 2029.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she looked forward to working with Burnham “to strengthen the EU-UK partnership”, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz invited him to visit Berlin to mark “the deep bond between us”.
French President Emmanuel Macron also sent congratulations and urged him to “give new momentum to the partnership between the United Kingdom and the European Union”.
Pakistani leaders’ reaction
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also extended heartfelt felicitations to Britain’s new prime minister.
In a statement, President Zardari expressed hope that under Burnham’s leadership, Pakistan and the UK would further strengthen their longstanding bilateral partnership and expand cooperation across areas of mutual interest.
He noted that as the world, particularly the Gulf region, has been passing through a turbulent period since late February, Pakistan has played its part in promoting peace with the support of many brotherly countries.
The president expressed hope that the UK, under Burnham’s leadership, would also play its part in securing a cessation of the current hostilities and a return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
Later, PM Shehbaz posted: “I wish Prime Minister Andy Burnham every success in his tenure and look forward to working closely with him to further strengthen the historic and deep-rooted bonds of friendship and cooperation between Pakistan and the UK.”
The prime minister said these special ties are anchored by millions of proud and vibrant British Pakistanis who serve as a living bridge between the two countries.
“Together, we will strive to elevate Pakistan-UK relations, in particular, our bilateral trade and investment partnership, to new heights,” PM Shehbaz said.
Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2026
