‘King of the North’ Andy Burnham to become 7th U.K. prime minister in a decade

United Kingdom‘King of the North’ Andy Burnham to become 7th U.K. prime minister in a decadeBurnham will take office Monday after meeting with King Charles III, following Keir Starmer’s decision to step down.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Andy Burnham in London on Friday.Nicola Tree / Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJuly 20, 2026, 5:26 AM EDTBy Alexander SmithLONDON — Over to you, Andy Burnham.Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The man dubbed the “King of the North” will become the new British prime minister Monday, the latest in a revolving door of leaders who will attempt to halt a decade of political turbulence and economic stagnation.Burnham, 56, will be appointed unchallenged after incumbent Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed to step down last month following a series of election defeats, U-turns and scandals.Both Starmer and Burnham come from the same center-left Labour Party, and in the United Kingdom ruling parties can change leaders — and therefore the prime minister — in the middle of an election cycle without anyone voting.That said, Burnham has promised radical change when he takes office after a morning of royal formality, though he already faces infighting over his cabinet selections. The incoming leader has a heaving inbox: how to solve Britain’s cost-of-living crisis, revive its ailing National Health Service and navigate bitter debates over immigration and Europe. He must also fend off the challenge from Reform UK, the hard-right party led by Donald Trump ally Nigel Farage, which tops the polls.Andy Burnham in London on Friday.Nicola Tree / Getty ImagesBurnham has promised “to pass power from the authorities to ordinary people” and “to build a new politics — the country is crying out for it,” he said in a speech Friday. “Let’s have the courage to fix the big things that politics has neglected,” he added, vowing to reverse the “wrong turns” that Britain began...