Burnham Becomes U.K. Prime Minister and Pledges to End Homelessness

THE NEW YORK TIMES: In his first address, Andy Burnham acknowledged that he is Britain’s seventh leader in a decade and vowed to usher in a “circuit breaker moment” to change the direction of government.

Andy Burnham became the leader of Britain on Monday, capping an extraordinary demonstration of political power in which he easily won a seat in Parliament and swiftly engineered the resignation of the sitting prime minister.

In his first remarks at Downing Street, Mr. Burnham pledged to “put the care of people at the heart of everything I do” and said his move into Britain’s top job will be a “circuit breaker moment” to change the direction that government has taken over the last four decades.

“I know people at home are fed up with politics,” he told supporters. “I hear you, and I want to be honest with you. We have not been good enough, and we need to be better. We will be.”

Mr. Burnham is Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade, reflecting a period of turmoil that began with the Brexit vote in 2016, when voters severed ties to Europe. Earlier on Monday, Mr. Burnham traveled to Buckingham Palace, where King Charles III formally asked him to form a government.

There were early signs on Monday that Mr. Burnham had begun forming his new cabinet. David Lammy, who was deputy prime minister under Mr. Burnham’s predecessor, Keir Starmer, announced he was leaving government. Rachel Reeves also confirmed that she was out as chancellor of the Exchequer, overseeing the nation’s finances.

In his speech, Mr. Burnham announced one new policy, saying he would end “rough sleeping,” a British term for homelessness. But there have been signals recently that he will shift some aspects of Mr. Starmer’s agenda. Live Updates » | Michael D. Shear | Reporting from London | Monday, July 20, 2026