Andy Burnham will enter office as Britain’s new prime minister on Monday 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.
RM Block
The new UK prime minister will promise to strive to ensure his country is once again recognised internationally for effective government, after a decade-long carousel of psychodrama.
[ ‘I am ready’: Andy Burnham to become UK’s seventh PM in 10 yearsOpens in new window ]
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.
Soon after his speech, 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.
[ A pub tour of ‘Manchesterism’ as Andy Burnham gets ready for Downing StreetOpens in new window ]
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.
