Andy Burnham takes the reins as U.K.'s 7th prime minister in a decade
Having been asked by King Charles III to form a new government, former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has become Britain's 7th prime minister in a decade.
Updated on: July 20, 2026 / 8:38 AM EDT / CBS News
London — If you're struggling to keep up with who is running the United Kingdom, you're not alone. Keir Starmer , who led his Labour Party to a landslide election victory just two years ago, left the prime minister's office at 10 Downing Street on Monday to be replaced by Labour's new leader, Andy Burnham .
After being asked by King Charles III to form a new government on Monday — a constitutional formality that sealed his rise to power — Burnham became Britain's 7th prime minister in a decade.
The seemingly revolving door on Downing Street is possible because under the U.K.'s parliamentary system, voters don't directly elect their prime minister, they elect a party to govern. So, if and when the governing party decides to change its leader , the country's leader can change, too, with no national election required.
Burnham, in his first public remarks as the country's leader, told people outside Downing Street that he was "acutely conscious" of the perception created by the U.K. having so many prime ministers in recent years, which he said made it "a moment for reflection, and new resolution."
Britain, he said, needs to show the world there is stability, calling it his and his new government's "challenge, to make politics work," and "to raise our game."