Andrew Burnham was named Britain’s new prime minister on Monday. The former mayor of Greater Manchester was first presented in the morning by King Charles III. received and tasked with forming a government. In the early afternoon he will be at his new official residence in the Downing Street give a speech. The 56-year-old is the seventh British Prime Minister in ten years.
Burnham follows on Keir Starmerwho announced his resignation in June following several political failures. It was on Friday Burnham officially chairman of the ruling party Labour been appointed. In his inaugural speech, he described himself as a grassroots man. He is considered a classic social democratic, left-of-center Labor politician.
Burnham promised to bring control of water, energy, housing and public transport back into the public purse and to shift the political and economic power concentrated in London to the regions. A return to the European Union also seems out of the question under the new prime minister.
Big challenges await Burnham
Burnham faces many of the problems that his immediate predecessor, Starmer, was unable to solve. The British economy is weakening, the nation is losing importance in terms of foreign policy, and the population is suffering from social inequality and very tangible factors such as housing shortages and high energy costs. Announcements on measures for more financial flexibility are expected today.
Knows the customs in Westminster Burnham exactly. In the cabinet of then Prime Minister Gordon Brown, he was, among other things, Health Minister in the 2000s. In 2010 and 2015 he had already tried unsuccessfully to be elected leader of the Labor Party twice. The appointment on Friday was made unopposed.
Starmer’s farewell speech: The ex-prime minister leaves “proudly”
Keir Starmer, on the other hand, drew positive conclusions at the end of his two-year term as head of government. Leaving his official residence at 10 Downing Street in London on Monday, Starmer told reporters he was convinced Britain was “stronger and fairer” today than when he took office two years ago.
He leaves “with a smile” and is “proud of everything we have achieved”. Starmer then made his way to Buckingham Palace to submit his resignation to King Charles.