Andy Burnham has officially become the United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister, pledging a tougher approach to the war in Gaza while signalling a shift in the country’s stance on the conflict. 

Before taking office, Burnham acknowledged that the Labour Party had “not got it right” in its response to the conflict and apologised to those who felt the party’s position had fallen short. He described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as unacceptable and pledged to increase pressure on the Israeli government. 

Burnham has indicated that his government will consider stronger measures, including additional sanctions against Israel, as part of efforts to help bring an end to the suffering in Gaza. 

The former Mayor of Greater Manchester was sworn in as Prime Minister on Monday after meeting King Charles III, becoming Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade following the resignation of Keir Starmer. 

While Burnham has pledged a firmer stance on Gaza, his first priorities in office are expected to focus on domestic issues including the cost-of-living crisis, economic growth and reforms to public services. (Newswire)

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Andy Burnham has formally become the UK prime minister after meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace, the fourth person to hold the role in less than four years and the sixth within a decade.

Burnham, who took over from Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour party on Friday, accepted the appointment as prime minister shortly after Starmer had gone to the palace to resign to the monarch.

The former Greater Manchester mayor, who only returned to parliament a month ago, will now head to Downing Street, where he will make a statement to the assembled media before announcing his cabinet.

Burnham returned to parliament in a byelection staged by his allies with the explicit purpose of replacing Starmer, after the incumbent prime minister lost the support of many Labour MPs and a number of his ministers after a series of political mishaps and U-turns.

With no one else in the party competing to become leader, Burnham has been made prime minister without any contest and with limited scrutiny.

While the same happened for Rishi Sunak in 2022, he had fought a contest against Liz Truss weeks earlier and had very recent cabinet experience.

While Burnham has been an MP and cabinet minister before, he left parliament in 2017 to take the Greater Manchester role. (The Guardian)

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