5 Key Moments From Andy Burnham’s First Day as U.K. Prime Minister, Including His Invite to President Trump
Time · LC · trust 53/100
Andy Burnham was officially appointed the U.K.’s new Prime Minister during a meeting with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on Monday.
Delivering his first speech outside Downing Street, his new residence, Burnham framed the leadership transition as “a circuit breaker for Britain,” one that will bring forth the “biggest changes in the last forty years.”
Burnham is the U.K.'s seventh Prime Minister in a decade, and he has taken over the ruling Labour Party at a difficult time, just weeks after heavy losses in local polls under Keir Starmer's tenure.
Acknowledging the revolving door of Westminster, Burnham said “Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again” and expressed a readiness to take on the challenge.
“I know people at home are fed up with politics. I hear you,” he said. “And I want to be honest with you. We have not been good enough, and we need to be better."
Burnham, who until recently served as mayor of Greater Manchester, echoed pledges he made during his first speech as Labour leader on Friday and vowed to re-embrace working class communities while representing all of the U.K.
From a call with U.S. President Donald Trump to his highly-anticipated cabinet picks, here are the key moments from Burnham’s first day at the helm of Downing Street.
It falls on Burnham to help heal the splintered relationship between Westminster and Washington .
Since February, Trump has repeatedly criticized Starmer and other European leaders for refusing to actively get involved in the Iran war.
"This is not Winston Churchill we're dealing with," Trump said of Starmer at the height of tensions in March, as he accused the former U.K. leader of "ruining" relationships.
Shortly after taking office Monday afternoon, Burnham shared a call with Trump, during which he “underlined his commitment to defense and security and said ensuring the security of the U.K. and its allies was at the top of his agenda,” according to Downing Street.
Burnham is also said to have reaffirmed the U.K.’s commitment to “securing the movement of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz” amid the renewed U.S.-Iran conflict over the vital trade passage.
Despite having expressed disapproval of Trump’s trip to England during the U.S. President’s first term, Burnham extended an invitation for Trump to visit his beloved Manchester in the future. "The Prime Minister also hoped that he would be able to show the President what Manchester had to offer during a visit in the future," read the update.
The invitation is reportedly set to coincide with the 2027 G20 summit, which is rumoured to be taking place in Manchester.
TIME has reached out to Downing Street for comment.
During his Makerfield by-election campaign in June, Burnham issued a stark warning about the U.K. heading towards the political pathway of the U.S.
"Politics is getting more polarized. And the path we're on, if we are not careful, is a path towards the politics of the United States of America," he said . "A polarized, poisonous politics where people in communities don't work together anymore.”
The U.K.’s environmental policies have been a frequent target for Trump, whose Administration has moved to roll back climate measures .
Starmer’s Labour government came into power aiming to phase out fossil fuels from the U.K.’s electricity generation by 2030. Last year, it announced its intent to ban new North Sea oil and gas licenses.
Trump has repeatedly criticized the move, urging the U.K. to expand its drilling in the North Sea.
Burnham has signaled he isn’t against reconsidering the British access to North Sea oil and gas. “I’ve got something of an open mind, you know. I don’t have a sort of fixed position,” he said in early June.
On the eve of Burnham entering Downing Street, Trump claimed that “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."
Burnham has yet to make any announcements regarding the reports he may fast-track North Sea oil drilling on undeveloped sites, all while avoiding any new licenses.
After much speculation, Burnham started to announce his first Labour cabinet on Monday evening.
John Healey was confirmed as Chancellor. Last month, Healey resigned as Britain's Defense Minister after accusing Starmer of failing to invest enough money into the country’s Defense Investment Plan (DIP).
Ed Miliband has been assigned the role of Foreign Secretary. Miliband served as the U.K. Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero under Starmer and was a cabinet minister under former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Miliband was also once leader of the Labour Party, serving as Leader of the Opposition, from 2010 to the general election defeat in 2015.
Yvette Cooper is the newly-appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Cooper served as Foreign Secretary under Starmer. Louise Haigh will take on the role of Chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, First Secretary of State and Cabinet Office Minister.
Shabana Mahmood will remain Home Secretary and Pat McFadden will stay on as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
“I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction, to end rough sleeping in our country,” Burnham said as he addressed the nation outside Downing Street, just hours after visiting a homelessness charity in London.
“It’s about putting the right values and the right standards at the heart of government. I will put the care of people at the heart of everything I do,” Burnham pledged. “I will give this my all, and I ask you all to pull with me.”
The government later announced Burnham’s national drive will be “backed from day one by an additional £340 million [around $456 million].”
“The policy forms a key part of his pledge on the steps of Downing Street to help everyone to live well and build a more preventative state,…
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