The “King in the North” at Downing Street. In the United Kingdom, Labor Andy Burnham takes office as Prime Minister on Monday July 20, succeeding Keir Starmer, just two years after his triumphant election to Downing Street.
During his first speech outside 10 Downing Street, he promised to “right the ship” so that the United Kingdom “regains stability”.
Between the growing distrust towards political representatives, in this country which has experienced six Prime Ministers in ten years, sluggish growth, inflation and a worrying public debt, the new head of government will have a lot to do to turn the country around and meet multiple expectations.
In accordance with custom, the man who was mayor of Greater Manchester (northern England) until last month met, on Monday, King Charles III, who asked him to form the government, before his first speech as Prime Minister, dedicated to his vision for the country.
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Cover image: © France 24
After receiving the support of around 95% of Labor MPs, Andy Burnham became leader of Labour, the majority party in Parliament, on Friday – an essential step to take the head of government.
His predecessor arrived at Downing Street in July 2024, after a landslide victory for Labor in the legislative elections, ending fourteen years of Conservative government.
During a final speech in front of 10 Downing Street, Keir Starmer said he was “proud” of the work accomplished in two years at the head of the United Kingdom, judging that the country was “stronger and fairer” than when he arrived. The United Kingdom is “stronger and fairer today than it was two years ago,” declared Keir Starmer, who is handing over to another Labor member, Andy Burnham. “I leave with a smile, and I leave proud of everything we have accomplished,” he added.
Keir Starmer announced his departure on June 22, unpopular in the country and strongly contested within his party after clumsy decisions, controversies and local electoral defeats.
After his farewell speech at 10 Downing Street in London – the official residence and workplace of the Prime Minister – he went to tender his resignation to King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.
Little room for maneuver
The new government should be announced in the afternoon.
Many are wondering about Rachel Reeves’ successor as Finance Minister. Several names have been circulating, including that of Shabana Mahmood, so far at the Interior, where she has pursued a very firm policy on immigration.
Andy Burnham will have to respond to challenges that brought about the downfall of his predecessors, foremost among them sluggish economic growth and a persistent cost of living crisis. Its room for maneuver is limited due to very high public debt.
Labor is counting on Andy Burnham, nicknamed “the King of the North”, to stop the rise to power of the anti-immigration Reform UK party (far right), leading the polls for the next legislative elections scheduled for 2029.
On Friday, in his first speech as Labor leader, Andy Burnham, a skilled communicator with a relaxed style, said it was “the last chance” for his party. He promised to build “a new policy” and to embody an “authentically” Labor party.
After two failures to take the lead of Labor in 2010 and 2015, Andy Burnham left London to return to the North, where he is from. He was elected mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017.
It was at the head of this former industrial bastion, which experienced an economic revival, that he became one of the most popular political figures in the country.
New energy policy?
He said he wanted to decentralize power and create a “No. 10 North” – a reference to 10 Downing Street – which would be based in Manchester.
The government’s first announcement came on Saturday evening: a spokesperson announced the abandonment of the digital identity card project, a measure by Keir Starmer which aimed to combat the work of irregular migrants.
According to British media, Andy Burham could give the green light to develop oil and gas fields in the North Sea. According to Lucy Powell, Labor’s number 2, these are only “speculations” but, she added, the new Prime Minister will have a “more pragmatic” approach on the subject.
US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly called for the exploitation of resources in the North Sea, did not wait for an official announcement to congratulate himself: this will move the United Kingdom from the status of “a poverty-stricken disaster to that of one of the richest countries on the planet”, he said on his Truth Social platform.
With AFP
