King Charles III meets Andrew Burnham, invites him to form new UK government
London, July 20
King Charles III on Monday held an audience with Andrew Burnham and invited him to form a new administration, the Royal Family said.
In a post on X, the Royal Family said, "His Majesty received in Audience the Rt. Hon. Andrew Burnham MP and requested him to form a new Administration."
According to the Royal Family, Burnham accepted the King's invitation during the meeting and was formally appointed Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.
"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," the post said.
Andrew Burnham became the 59th Prime Minister of Britain on Monday after Keir Starmer tendered his resignation at Buckingham Palace. In his first address, he stressed "Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again" as the Labour leader is the UK's seventh PM in a decade.
He accepted the invitation from King Charles III in a ceremony traditionally known as 'kissing hands.' The Buckingham Palace on X announced that before the appointment of Burnham, former Prime Minister Starmer resigned from the designation.
Burnham (56), after becoming the Prime Minister, arrived at 10 Downing Street, accompanied by his wife Marie-France van Heel and delivered his first remarks to a public weary of political instability.
"Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again, and that is our challenge to make politics work, to make it work better. I know people at home are fed up with politics," he said.
In a poignant address, the PM promised to act as a "circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years."
"I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person in the last ten years to walk up this street - the seventh prime minister since 2016 - making this a moment for reflection and new resolution," Burnham said. "It requires my generation of politicians to raise our game and rise to the new challenge."
Acknowledging widespread public disillusionment, Burnham delivered a direct message to voters, stating, "I know people at home are fed up with politics. I hear you, and I want to be honest with you - we have not been good enough, and we need to be better."
The central pillar of Burnham's address was a fundamental rejection of the economic and political consensus that has governed Britain since the 1980s. Drawing on his years championing regional devolution as a metro mayor, he pledged to dismantle the highly centralised Westminster model.
"A new political model and a new economic model. In the 1980s, Britain took some wrong turns," Burnham said. "Political power was centralised, economic power privatised, large parts of the country industrialised, and they still haven't recovered... And that's why we will change politics, to make it more collaborative, more about problem solving than point scoring."
Looking toward long-term public service reform, the leader advocated for a shift toward what he termed a "preventative state," aimed at investing in individual success rather than paying to manage social failures.
Among his immediate priorities, Burnham outlined targeted interventions for the younger generation, pledging to help more young people transition into the workforce by reshaping the education system and expanding access to essential support systems, particularly mental health services.
"That work starts now," Burnham concluded.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Burnham talking about decentralisation and moving power from Westminster - that's something India could relate to with our states having more autonomy. But I'm sceptical. The UK has made many promises over the years. Let's see if he actually delivers on that "circuit breaker" talk. 🇮🇳
As someone who follows UK politics from abroad, it's chaotic. Seven PMs since 2016? That's nuts. But I respect Burnham's honesty about "not being good enough." In the US, we rarely hear politicians admit failure so directly. Maybe this change could work, but only time will tell.
Burns the "kissing hands" ceremony looks so old-fashioned! 🫠 It's like a scene from a period drama. But coming from India where we have our own formalities with the President, I guess traditions are hard to break. Hope this new PM has a better strategy than just blaming the 1980s for everything.
Burnham says he wants a "preventative state" - that's interesting given how India has focused on schemes like Ayushman Bharat for healthcare. But in the UK, their economic model is very different. I hope he succeeds because global instability affects us all. India has strong ties with the UK, so his policies matter to us too.
Weird to see a Labour leader from Manchester (Burnham) being PM while being called "Andrew" - feels like a different world from our own PM Modi. But I appreciate the humility in his speech - saying "we have not been good
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