Main points
- Andy Burnham is now officially prime minister, Buckingham Palace has said.
- Keir Starmer earlier formally resigned as prime minister.
- Chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves, deputy prime minister David Lammy, business secretary Peter Kyle, housing secretary Steve Reed and science and technology secretary Liz Kendall have all been sacked or resigned from cabinet.
Key reads
- The Irish Times view on Andy Burnham: new prime minister faces old problems
- Five key challenges facing Andy Burnham as he prepares to enter Downing Street
- A pub tour of ‘Manchesterism’ as Andy Burnham gets ready for Downing Street
- King of the casuals: What Andy Burnham’s dad-friendly labels say about his push for power
Burnham’s cabinet: who’s out?
Rachel Reeves has lost her job as chancellor of the exchequer.
David Lammy dropped as justice secretary.
Hilary Benn is no longer Northern Ireland secretary.
Peter Kyle dismissed as business secretary.
Burnham’s cabinet: who’s in?
John Healey is back in the cabinet chancellor of the exchequer.
Ed Miliband remains foreign secretary.
Shabana Mahmood stays on as home secretary.
Yvette Cooper is switched from foreign secretary to health secretary.
Pat McFadden remains work and pensions secretary.
Louise Haigh is appointed cabinet office minister.
Cooper appointed health secretary as McFadden keeps pensions folio
Burnham has appointed Yvette Cooper as the new health secretary. Pat McFadden, meanwhile, will stay on as secretary for work and pensions.
Rayner set to make comeback, Haigh appointed head of the cabinet office
Angela Rayner has entered Number 10. She resigned as deputy leader in 2025 when it emerged she underpaid stamp duty on a flat in Hove, near Brighton. She settled the affair in May following an investigation and is ready to return to the fold. Former transport secretary Louise Haigh, who resigned in 2024 when a fraud conviction resurfaced, has been appointed first secretary of state (chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster).
Ed Miliband named as foreign secretary, Mahmood stays as home secretary
Burnham has named Ed Miliband as his foreign secretary, replacing Cooper, who has just entered Number 10. Shabana Mahmood has been reappointed foreign secretary.
Cooper and McFadden arrive
Yvette Cooper, who was serving as foreign secretary under Starmer. She has been joined by Starmer loyalist Pat McFadden, who is serving at the department of work and pensions.
Burnham springs his first surprise
Our London Correspondent Mark Paul writes: Burnham sprang his first surprise by appointing former defence secretary John Healey as his new chancellor of the exchequer.
Healey, who resigned from Starmer’s government in a row over defence funding, had been mooted several weeks ago as a potential dark horse for the chancellor position.
However, the Westminster rumour mill in recent weeks had pitched it as a battle for the job between Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood. Healey’s appointment upends that notion.
Healey, who has past experience as a treasury minister, will now be tasked with finding the money to rebuild Britain’s armed forces that he believed was so necessary, he was prepared to quit government.
John Healey named as chancellor of the exchequer
A big surprise. John Healey has been named as chancellor of the exchequer.
Louise Haigh looks set to return
Former transport secretary Louise Haigh has also entered number 10. A close ally of Burnham, she resigned as transport secretary in 2024 following a bizarre sequence of events.
Ed Miliband, Shabana Mahmood and John Healey enter 10 Downing Street
Andy Burnham has started to appoint his cabinet. John Healey, Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood have entered number 10. Healey resigned as Keir Starmer’s defence secretary last month. Mahmood has been serving as home secretary, while Miliband was energy secretary under Starmer.
Purge of Starmer loyalists from Burnham’s new cabinet
While we don’t know yet who has been appointment to Andy Burnham’s new cabinet, Mark Paul, our London correspondent, reports that we are getting a clearer picture of who won’t make the cut.
Chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves, deputy prime minister David Lammy, business secretary Peter Kyle, housing secretary Steve Reed and science and technology secretary Liz Kendall have all been sacked or resigned from cabinet.
Burnham speaks to Trump in first foreign call as prime minister
Andy Burnham has spoken to US president Donald Trump in what was his first international call as prime minister.
Details of what they spoke about have not been released, but Trump welcomed Andy Burnham’s premiership with a post on social media yesterday saying that “the people of Aberdeen are dancing in the streets” because the new prime minister will open the North Sea for oil drilling.
Andy Burnham has not confirmed reports that he is considering approving new fossil fuel production, particularly in the North Sea’s Rosebank and Jackdaw fields.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump claimed Burnham had said he would.
Trump wrote: “The People of Aberdeen, in Scotland, are dancing in the streets because the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has stated that he will be opening up, all the way, the invaluable North Sea Oil!”
The US president, a vocal supporter of fossil fuels, said further drilling in the North Sea would “make the United Kingdom, from a Poverty Stricken Disaster, to one of the Richest Countries anywhere in the World”.
In his latest attack on wind power, he suggested the UK would “move the old and horrible looking windmills, which loom over and destroy the City of Aberdeen”.
International leaders congratulate Burnham on becoming prime minister
International leaders have wasted no time in congratulating Andy Burnham for becoming the new prime minister.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she looks forward to working with Burnham “to strengthen the EU-UK partnership” for the “prosperity of people on both sides of the Channel”
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said he hopes they could “deepen” ties between both countries “in service of our peoples” and give “new momentum” to the relationship between the EU and the UK
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy wished Burnham “every success” in addressing the challenges of today. “We are ready to work together in all possible formats,” he said.
Taoiseach wishes new PM ‘every success in his new role’
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has wished new British prime minister Andy Burnham “every success in his new role”, writes political editor Pat Leahy
“I know Andy from previous meetings when he was mayor of Manchester, when he came to Ireland on a number of occasions, and of course when we met at the Anglo-Irish summit in Liverpool the year before last,” he said at Government Buildings.
“We will work closely with him, we are co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement and we look forward to continuing the very good relationship we had with Keir Starmer and this Government,” he said.
The Taoiseach said he would work “to facilitate a stronger and warner relationship between the UK and the European Union”.
He said he hoped that there would be a UK-EU summit soon that could work out some outstanding issues between the two sides.
In a statement, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said Andy Burham’s appointment offered “an opportunity to begin a new chapter in relations between Britain and Ireland”.
She said that “outstanding commitments” from the British government “must now be honoured in full, including provision for a referendum on Irish reunification in accordance with the agreement”.
“The direction of travel is clear. Ireland is moving towards a referendum on unity,” she added.
“The outcome will belong to the people alone, but governments cannot postpone preparation until a referendum has been called. Preparation must begin now.”
She also called for greater funding from London for the Stormont Executive.
How Irish is Andy Burnham, Britain’s new prime minister? Irish Times journalist Karl McDonald found out for a piece last month, which can be read here.
Appointment as prime minister is ‘moment for reflection and new resolution’, says Burnham
Andy Burnham said his appointment as prime minister is “a moment for reflection and new resolution”.
He said he was acutely conscious he was Britain’s seventh prime minister since 2016.
Burnham repeated a claim he previously made on Friday that Britain took some “wrong turns” in the 1980s, and that the country still hadn’t recovered.
“Many feel as though they’re still in decline and they don’t have the ability to turn things around, and that’s why we will change politics, to make it more collaborative, more about problem-solving than point scoring,” he said.
“We will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land, so that they can do more, and in doing more, build a new economy where we put life’s essentials back under stronger public control to make them affordable to you again.”
Britain has to show “that we can regain our stability once again and that is our challenge”, he said.
The prime minister said his new government will help people to “live well, building a more preventative state, investing in people’s success rather than paying for failure”.
“That work starts now,” he said.
“I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction: to end rough sleeping in our country."
Burnham also said he will announce help with the cost of living on Tuesday.
“I can do something to give people some breathing space now, some help with the cost of living. And I will set out some of those measures starting tomorrow, including how we pay for them,” he said.
Concluding his inaugural speech, the new prime minister said: “I will give this my all and I ask you all to pull with me. Let’s build a new national sense of unity, of common purpose and positivity.
“Let us make this the moment when Britain starts to believe again. The moment we bring back hope. Thank you very much, everybody.”
‘We have not been good enough,’ says Britain’s new PM
Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, has said politicians must “raise our game and rise to the new challenge”.
In his first speech as prime minister, Burnham said he knew “people at home are fed up with politics”.
“I want to be honest with you: we have not been good enough and we need to be better. We will be,” he said.
Burnham added: “Let us make this the moment when Britain starts to believe again. The moment we bring back hope.
“I will bring forward a new plan for Britain, a 10-year plan.”
Andy Burnham has now arrived at Downing Street alongside his wife Marie-France van Heel and is about to deliver his first speech as British prime minister.
Taoiseach says he will work with new PM to deliver ‘real tangible benefits’ for people
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has congratulated Andy Burnham on becoming Britain’s prime minister. Martin said he looked forward to working with him to “further strengthen the partnership and friendship between our two countries”.
“Our relationship has deepened further in recent years with annual UK-Ireland Summits, and our respective roles as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement,” he said in a statement on Monday.
“We will also work to facilitate a stronger relationship between the UK and European Union. During his time as mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy was a great champion of deeper links between Ireland and Britain.
“It has been a pleasure to meet him on several occasions, including during his visits to Ireland last year. I will work with prime minister Burnham to ensure that close cooperation between Ireland and the UK delivers real tangible benefits for people, communities and businesses right across these islands.”
Andy Burnham becomes prime minister
Andy Burnham is now officially prime minister, Buckingham Palace has said.
British king Charles III invited him to form a government and Burnham accepted the invitation.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “His majesty 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.
“Ms Marie-France van Heel was also received by his majesty.”
Labour leader Andy Burnham has now arrived at Buckingham Palace. British king Charles will now invite him to form a new government.
Starmer formally resigns as prime minister
Keir Starmer has formally resigned as prime minister, Buckingham Palace has said.
It said in a statement: “Sir Keir Starmer MP had an audience of The King this morning and tendered his resignation as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury which His Majesty was graciously pleased to accept.
“Lady Starmer was also received by The King.”
The UK is now currently without a prime minister, until British king Charles III invites Andy Burnham to form a government.
New PM appointment offers opportunity, says Sinn Féin leader
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said Andy Burnham’s time in office will be important as it coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement and advancing towards referendums on Irish unity.
“I hope his government approaches this work with the courage and imagination shown by previous Labour governments during the peace process,” she said.
McDonald said when Labour assumed office after the last general election, she stated her party’s intention to work “constructively” with the incoming British government to address the “considerable challenges and opportunities before us”.
“That remains our position,” she said in a statement on Monday. “The appointment of Andy Burnham as Labour leader and British prime minister offers an opportunity to begin a new chapter in relations between Britain and Ireland. I hope his government approaches that task with the courage and imagination shown by previous Labour governments during the peace process.
“As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, peace is secure. The future political direction of Ireland, and our relationship with Britain, must continue to be shaped by the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. That work remains unfinished.”
McDonald added that outstanding commitments must now be “honoured in full”, including provision for a referendum on Irish reunification in accordance with the agreement.
“The conversation on Irish unity has moved decisively into the political mainstream. It is taking place in the Dáil, across civic society, universities, businesses, trade unions and communities throughout the island,” she said.
“The direction of travel is clear. Ireland is moving towards a referendum on unity. The outcome will belong to the people alone, but governments cannot postpone preparation until a referendum has been called. Preparation must begin now.”
‘I go with good grace and a smile,’ says Starmer
Outgoing prime minister Keir Starmer also said that in a “world now where our enemies will stop at nothing to divide us”, in part because of “our unflinching resolve towards the brave people of Ukraine”, it is vital the country unites together.
He wished his successor, Andy Burnham, “every success”, and thanked both Downing Street staff and his wife Victoria.
“I go with good grace, I go with a smile and I go proud of everything that we have achieved. Thank you very much,” he said.
Starmer has now arrived at Buckingham Palace, where he will offer king Charles his formal resignation as prime minister.
‘Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago’ - Keir Starmer
Outgoing British prime minister Keir Starmer said that in his six-and-a-half years as Labour leader he took the 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″.
“Since then, it has been the privilege of my life to serve you and this great country as prime minister, and I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago,” he said.
Starmer said his government had lifted children out of poverty, reduced immigration, put defence on a stronger footing and enhanced the UK’s international reputation.
He said the “most humbling aspect of this job is the front row seat you get to witness the greatest things of this country in action”.
“Whether that’s [people] in their regimental colours, NHS scrubs or simply the millions of people in their communities who volunteer their time and their effort to the ground beneath their feet,” he said.
Outgoing UK prime minister Keir Starmer has begun his farewell speech outside 10 Downing Street saying “my work is done” and that it has been the privilege of his life.
‘Podium guy’ has outlasted five prime ministers
Mark Paul, our London correspondent, in Downing Street, writes:
In the first indication that a speech from Starmer may be relatively soon, we have just spotted the Downing Street sound engineer known, admiringly and a touch facetiously, by social media and many of the women in the Westminster press pack as “hot podium guy”.
He is the man who has dragged out the lectern for the litany of prime ministerial addresses and resignations in recent years - a busy man. His sculpted physique suggests he probably knows his way around a gym, hence his legion of followers in Westminster.
The media has identified him as Tobias Gough, a sound engineer with MGi London, who first caught the public’s attention in 2019, while setting up the lectern when Theresa May, the then prime minister, stepped down. Shortly afterwards, he became a social media sensation. Some joked that they trusted him to broker Brexit over any elected leaders.
He will have his work cut out: once Starmer finishes, he will need to quickly drag the lectern back inside, as Burnham is expected to prefer a more informal style for his first speech as prime minister.
Burnham’s father unaware of son’s new role because of Alzheimer’s
Andy Burnham’s father does not know he will be the next prime minister because of his Alzheimer’s, the Labour leader has said.
The incoming UK prime minister has vowed to “grasp the nettle” of reforming the adult social care system, drawing on his father Roy’s experience.
He told The Times that his father was unaware that he is on the brink of power in Britain.
“That’s a sadness because he would be (proud),” Burnham said.
“The way I look at it, it’s his achievement as well. A whole family achievement although he doesn’t know it.”
His father was also unaware Burnham had swung behind one of his political passions, a change in the voting system to proportional representation.
He said: “I don’t think he’s ever realised, because of his condition, that I’ve come round to PR, which is one of his missions - to get me to accept that.”
Burnham said his family, including his youngest daughter, visited his father last Sunday.
“We were at his care home. My two brothers were there, my mum was there. So, all five of us together, which was a nice thing.”
Andy Burnham woke up this morning in Admiralty House, a UK government building in Whitehall that contains a number of ministerial flats, writes London correspondent Mark Paul.
Tonight, he will go to sleep a few hundred yards away in Downing Street as the UK’s new prime minister.
He is expected to formally assume office at around noon, and will give his inaugural address outside the black door of Number 10 shortly before 1pm.
In a break with Downing Street tradition, it is rumoured he will not stand behind a lectern.
In the hour or so preceding Burnham’s formal appointment by the British king Charles, the outgoing PM, Keir Starmer, will head to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation and request that Burnham be allowed to replace him.
Starmer will also give his final address on Downing Street a few minutes before he heads to the palace. That is expected to happen shortly before 11am.
This morning, security at the gates of Downing Street, one of the one of the most famous streets in global politics, is far tighter than usual.
It is believed that protesters will be kept back from the gates and amplifiers will be banned, which means anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray, whose loud musical interludes have provided the backdrop to many big UK political moments, may be stymied.
Broadcasters from Britain and across the world have been marking out their positions on the street all weekend, following a ballot. Platforms have been erected for broadcasters to occupy and a forest of step ladders are propped up against the walls to give photographers the best angles to capture the transition.
The Irish Times has elbowed its way in to occupy a position opposite Number 11 Downing Street, the base of the chancellor of the exchequer. Who will occupy that role under Burnham is the biggest decision he will make today and, perhaps, ever.
Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary under Starmer, is favourite to take over as Burnham’s chancellor. That may disappoint the restive left wing of the Labour Party but Burnham will never again be as powerful as he is today, and for now, at least, what he says goes for the UK’s current party of government.
As well as appointing his cabinet, Burnham is also expected to announce the abolition of the UK’s digital ID scheme.
It’s the biggest job in British politics, and Andy Burnham has had relatively little time to prepare. Once installed in Downing Street as prime minister on Monday, Burnham will need to make dozens of decisions each day, resolve disputes among ministers and act as the political figurehead of the government.
He faces a long and daunting list of issues, some of which you can read more about here.
Make-up of new cabinet set to be revealed after speech
Soon after his speech, Andy Burnham is expected to reveal the make-up of his new cabinet, the formation of which has been veiled in secrecy since his ascension to the top job became inevitable a couple of weeks ago.
There has been acute speculation over who might be chancellor of the exchequer, a role coveted by left-leaning former Labour leader Ed Miliband.
His allies fear, however, that he is danger of losing out on that role to the current home secretary, Shabana Mahmood. Pat McFadden is seen as a contender for Northern Ireland secretary.
Burnham’s inaugural PM speech to focus on ‘honesty and reflection’
In his first speech as prime minister, Burnham will promise to strive to ensure his country is once again recognised internationally for effective government, after a decade-long carousel of psychodrama.
It is expected that Burnham will seek to focus in his speech not on triumphalism, after his allies in Westminster effectively sacked Starmer two years after winning an election landslide. Instead, he will talk of the need for “honesty and reflection”.
He will also argue that it is time to give Britons “more breathing space” with a focus on policies that improve their everyday lives.
Burnham’s inaugural speech as UK prime minister comes three days after his first address as Labour leader on Friday, when he was officially confirmed in that role. On Friday, he focused on calling for an end to division and “factionalism” in his party. Monday’s Downing Street speech, however, will focus more on the British nation.
Andy Burnham will enter office as Britain’s new prime minister on Monday morning preaching a message of “unity and stability”, just hours after removal vans depart Downing Street with the belongings of Keir Starmer, the outgoing premier whom he ousted.
Sixteen years after first seeking the Labour party leadership, Burnham now becomes leader of his country, which is still bruised by a decade of rows over Brexit and roiled by political and economic pressures that have, at times, threatened to cleave it apart.
Burnham, who until last month was the mayor of Greater Manchester, will give his first speech outside the famous black door of Number 10 soon after Starmer departs, and Britain’s king Charles gives him permission to form a UK government.
He will acknowledge that he is “acutely conscious” of being the sixth new prime minister to walk up Downing Street since the Brexit vote of 2016. Burnham is expected to argue that this “unprecedented turnover” in national leadership underlines the need for more “stable and responsible politics” in Britain.
Follow irishtimes.com for updates throughout the day.
