Britain’s newly appointed Prime Minister Andy Burnham delivers a speech outside 10 Downing Street after taking office, in London, on Britain, July 20, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

10, Downing Street, London is one of the most famous addresses in the world

Read Comments

On June 22, Keir Starmer stepped down as the U.K.’s Prime Minister via a teary speech in front of 10 Downing Street, only two years into his term. Elected in a landslide election in 2024, he leaves office with the worst poll rates, having lost the confidence of not only the public but also his own party.

On the same day, in Westminster, Andy Burnham was sworn in as the new MP of Makerfield, a seat which he won on June 18 via a highly contested by-election, amid cheers from his fellow Labour MPs. By taking his oath in Parliament, he is now being seen as the most likely successor to Mr. Starmer as both Labour Party leader and the U.K’s new Prime Minister.

If elected by Labour to lead, Mr. Burnham will be the United Kingdom’s seventh Prime Minister in 10 years. He will also be the U.K’s first life-long Catholic Prime Minister.

Andy Burnham has had a long history with Westminster. Starting out as a researcher to an MP when Tony Blair first came to power in 1997, he climbed through the ranks and got elected as MP for the first time from his home town of Leigh in Greater Manchester in 2001. He served as a junior Health minister under Mr. Blair in his second Prime Ministership, and was later, under Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and further Health Secretary.

Having served under multiple Prime Ministers and being one of the most senior members of the Labour Party, Mr. Burnham had previously run for Labour Party leadership twice, once in 2010 and later in 2015. He failed both times, with the second time to Jeremy Corbyn who has since been expelled from the party.

The provincial shift

In 2017, Mr. Burnham made a curious shift in his political journey — the decision to run for Mayor from the Greater Manchester region, which lies towards the north of the country. Politics in the U.K has always been very London-centric, with the general logic being that one had to stay in Parliament for any sort of career progression and to make oneself heard.

Mr. Burnham went against this logic, stating that governments were too focused on London and did not give any attention to northern regions, leaving the people on the outskirts abandoned. He has spoken on the “chasm between people and Westminster politics” and has constantly attacked the “Metropolitan elites” for failing to connect with the people beyond London.

His decision at the time caused much discussion, with many attributing it to his running away from the party due to his multiple losses. In an interview with The Guardian’s Carole Cadwalladr in 2016 on his decision to contest as Mayor in the northern region, he said, “This is somewhere where I know I can make a difference. Labour is losing its connection in the north. It needs a stronger northern voice.”

He himself was born in northern England in a small village called Culcheth, which lies right outside the border of the Greater Manchester region. His father was a telephone engineer and his mother a receptionist.

He would go on to win the Greater Manchester Mayorship in 2017 and again in 2021 with a bigger mandate than before.

Mr. Burnham later attributed this shift to a decision which was in the making ever since he visited Liverpool during the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster of 1989. On April 15, 1989, at a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, almost 100 Liverpool fans were crushed to death due to a lack of crowd control measures and general lapses by the police. However, at the time, the police covered up their mistakes and put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the victims, attributing it to “drunk Liverpool fans”.

When Mr. Burnham visited the memorial, the anger at the injustice meted out to the victims and their families was palpable. The crowd heckled and chanted “Justice for the 96” throughout Mr. Burnham’s speech. Post the memorial, Mr. Burnham, who was then Minister of Sport, convinced the Brown government to reopen an enquiry into the Hillsborough disaster, which then found evidence of police cover-ups and lies. It was one of Mr. Burnham’s early political victories and his first connection with the northern region as a statesman.

He himself is a huge football enthusiast, being a fan of Everton, Liverpool’s oldest football club.

As Mayor, Mr. Burnham brought in various changes in the Greater Manchester region, which is now one of the fastest-growing city regions in the U.K. He stands out for two of his main achievements — one was the decentralisation of bus services, where he brought local public transport back under the local government, and the second was his fight against Westminster for the lack of support to the region during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the pandemic, in 2020, the then Boris Johnson-led government imposed extremely strict lockdown rules on the northern region, stating that cases were rising there. Mr. Burnham was extremely critical of London’s high-handedness in treating the region unfairly and said that the financial support being offered was not enough to combat the loss of income the region’s small businesses would face. His constant defence of the northern province and negotiations for higher financial support during the pandemic earned him the moniker “King of the North” after a character from the popular TV show, Game of Thrones.

Policy and geopolitics

Mr. Burnham’s stance on major policies has been pragmatic and one which changes with time, or as his critics call it, one which wavers and is dependent on who is in power. While during the Brexit referendum, he, along with major Labour party leaders, campaigned to remain in the EU, post Brexit, he has often played down his pro-European sentiment, especially after moving north where the people had overwhelmingly voted to leave the EU.

He had also voted for the Iraq war during his time in Parliament in 2003, which he later said in 2013 was the “worst foreign policy mistake in my lifetime.” Regarding the recent wars and conflicts in West Asia, Mr. Burnham was one of the first people to call for a ceasefire after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. However, he has stopped short of calling Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide.

As Prime Minister, he will be up against a strong opposition in Nigel Farage’s far-right Reform U.K. party, which also has a stronghold in the northern regions due to its anti-immigrant rhetoric. Mr. Burnham has taken a diplomatic approach with respect to immigration, arguing for bringing down asylum applications, reducing net immigration and at the same time, also talking about the positive impact of immigration in the U.K. He has said that we need to be “in control” of the system while also dealing with such issues with compassion.

JL Partners, a polling consultancy, has said that while under Keir Starmer, Reform was leading in expectations of victory by 18 points, under Andy Burnham, Labour leads by 2 points over Reform.

Mr. Burnham also has to deal with the all-encompassing problem of the U.K’s stagnating economy; his plan for steering the country out of its high-debt and low-growth economic model has not been made clear. His leadership will most prominently be judged on how he can lead the country out of its current economic rut.

While he enjoys popularity within the Labour party, some former Labour MPs such as Zarah Sulthana have been extremely critical of Mr. Burnham, calling him “more of the same” in line with the incumbent Mr. Starmer. It remains to be seen how Mr. Burnham will lead the party and the country out of its crisis of leadership and stagnancy.

Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday (June 22, 2026) morning, just under two years after leading Labour in a landslide victory in July 2024. This happened despite the fact that the U.K. saw some of its important economic parameters improving in the last two years. It had the strongest economic growth in Q1 2026 relative to its G7 peers and inflation had been falling to the Bank of England’s target level of 2%, for instance. The waitlists for medical appointments in the U.K.’s universal healthcare system had also fallen. Net immigration numbers — a hot button — had also declined, though some of this could reasonably be attributed to policies of the Conservative government of Rishi Sunak.

However, the above was not enough to keep Mr. Starmer in No. 10 Downing Street until the end of this Parliament. His popularity within the Labour Party, his historically low performance in opinion polls, poor judgement calls in political appointments, recent electoral losses for Labour and fears around the growth in Reform and other hard right parties were among the reasons he was compelled to resign. His political fate was all but sealed when Labour’s ‘King of the North’, former mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham won a seat in Westminster (the U.K.’s Parliament) last week, after winning a bye-election.

Labour’s infighting

The factionalism within Labour became evident within a year of Mr. Starmer becoming Prime Minister. The seeds of this were sown earlier when Mr. Starmer moved himself and the Labour party towards the centre. He suspended former left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn as part of a move to distance the party from a perception of anti-semitism. This does not explain the entire picture either. The domestic and global environment in which the Labour party operated has been fluctuating these past two years, and this has resulted in MPs coalescing around multiple centres of gravity as far as policy is concerned.

While the Conservatives, who were historically the mainstream party of the right in the U.K., being decimated in the 2024 elections, the hard right Reform U.K. party and now, Restore Britain, which is even further right of Reform, have been gaining in strength. Britain has been no exception to the higher levels of political polarization seen world over in the last decade. All of this has created pressure on Labour from both the right (such as from Reform) and the left (such as the Greens).

More than 120 of the 403 Labour MPs in the House of Commons revolted against proposed welfare cuts, forcing Mr. Starmer to walk these back significantly in June 2025. There was further backlash from within the party to changes in immigration policy announced in November 2025, fundamentally changing the model of immigration to the U.K., restricting or prolonging most pathways to permanent residence. Mr. Starmer and his allies have repeatedly argued that certain policies are necessary to keep Reform at bay.

Low popularity in polls

Mr. Starmer’s net favourability ratings have been deep in negative territory, where he has competed with Lizz Truss, who served as U.K. PM for just 49 days. His recent net favourability numbers have been in the -40 to -45 range. British commentators have tried — and struggled — to explain the cause for the Prime Minister’s unpopularity, proffering various reasons for this phenomenon. Explanations have included Mr. Starmer being on the receiving end of general public frustration and impatience for change, to disillusionment from the left flank of Labour’s traditional vote base to his judgement calls on appointments. This unpopularity has been a central reason why Mr. Starmer’s own colleagues have called for him to step down, fearing that Labour will not get past the post in the 2029 general election.

He lost friends within his party and strengthened critics with further evidence emerging in recent months of his poor judgement calls over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s U.S. Ambassador, who was sacked from his post in September 2025 over his links to (now deceased) paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. A series of departures from the government around this issue further weakened Mr. Starmer.

Poor results in recent elections

Recent election results where Labour did not fare well have compounded fears of Labour MPs that the party may squander away its 2024 election victory and lose in 2029. It lost a seat to the Greens (who are to the left of Labour on the political spectrum) in a bye-election in Greater Manchester’s Gorton and Denton constituency.

Labour’s National Executive Committee and Mr. Starmer were criticised for not allowing former Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, seen even then as a contender for Mr. Starmer’s post, from contesting this election. A decision on Mr. Starmer’s leadership was postponed until the May 2026 subnational elections. However, in May, Labour was handed a major defeat in local elections in England and did not do well in the assembly elections in Wales and Scotland. Reform picked up 1,452 council seats in England, while Labour lost 1,498 seats and control of Welsh politics after more than a century. This was a severe blow for Mr. Starmer’s leadership, with several MPs, including Wes Streeting, the U.K. Health Secretary and contender for the prime minister’ job, quitting the government.

Andy Burnham enters the scene

The final blow to Mr. Starmer’s premiership came last week, when Mr. Burnham won the Mackerfield parliamentary bye-election, winning 55% of the vote, with Reform’s Rob Kenyon just getting 35% of the vote. Reform had won just over half of the eight wards that make up Makerfield in May (i.e., in the local election). Last week’s results are thus being read by many, including Mr. Burnham’s allies, that Mr. Burnham can beat Reform.

Just after the results came in on Friday (June 19, 2026) last week, Mr. Starmer said he would fight a contest for his position if he was challenged. The mood changed over the weekend when Mr. Starmer retreated to his official country home, Chequers, and sought the council of his wife, Victoria, and discussed his future with cabinet members. Several of these ministers had reportedly urged him to step down and put forth an orderly timetable for a transition. Mr. Starmer announced he would step down on Monday (June 22, 2026) morning.

Published – June 22, 2026 07:02 pm IST

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks outside 10 Downing Street, following Andy Burnham’s decisive victory last week in the Makerfield by-election, in London, Britain, on June 22, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to small business owners during a visit to Home Cafe and Kitchen in Kensal Rise, north west London, as new figures have shown the U.K. recorded stronger than expected economic growth on May 18, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

In the face of growing calls for him to step down following the Labour Party’s disastrous performance in subnational elections, British Prime Minister and party leader Keir Starmer said he would continue in his post, as he took responsibility for the results and acknowledged that a “bigger response” was needed than was anticipated.

“…We need a bigger response than we anticipated in 2024 because these are not ordinary times, and this is a political challenge just as much as it’s a policy challenge,” he said in a speech in London on Monday (May 11, 2026) morning.

The Prime Minister suggested a leadership change would cause chaos, adding that the Tories had proved this with frequent leadership changes. There were five Prime Ministers in the 14 years of Conservative rule, including one, Liz Truss, whose premiership lasted just 49 days.

The U.K. government would speed up legislation to allow the nationalisation of British Steel, which was sold in 1998, Mr. Starmer said. It would also seek closer ties with Europe, he said, adding that his government would put “Britain at the heart of Europe”. More details are expected in Wednesday’s ‘King’s Speech’, an annual address to the U.K. Parliament setting out the government’s agenda for the next year.

In last week’s council (England) and assembly elections (Wales, Scotland), Labour lost votes on the right to the nativist Reform UK party and the left to the Greens and the nationalist party Plaid Cymru in Wales, where, until now, Labour had dominated politics for about a century.

In England, Labour lost some 1,500 councillors in, and the control of, 40 councils. Mr. Starmer has also had very low popularity ratings for a sitting British Prime Minister. He has overseen discord within his party over the direction of its policies on immigration and welfare spending, with the government pursuing a relatively centrist agenda compared to what Labour has traditionally advocated.

The Prime Minister’s judgment had also been questioned over the appointment of Peter Mandelson, an associate of the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted paedophile, as Britain’s envoy to the U.S.

On Saturday, Catherine West, formerly a Foreign Office Minister and now backbench Labour MP, said she would challenge Mr. Starmer for the leadership if a senior MP did not do so by Monday.

The Prime Minister confirmed that he would fight any challenge to his leadership.

One of those considered a challenger to Mr. Starmer is Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner who urged Mr. Starmer to shift policies further to the left. Labour needed to change what it was doing in terms of policy, she said, and this may be its “last chance”.

According to Ms. Rayner, Labour had not done enough to address the U.K.’s cost of living situation – which ranked as the top concern for voters. People were, therefore, backing nationalists and populists, she said, adding that the Mandelson scandal revealed a “toxic culture of cronyism”.

In his speech, Mr. Starmer said neither Reform leader Nigel Farage nor Green Party leader Zac Polanski offered the country “the serious, progressive leadership that these times demand”.

The Prime Minister, who has sometimes been criticised for a lack of emotional connect with the people, said the results “hurt” and acknowledged that some were “frustrated” with him.

“I know I have my doubters, and I know I need to prove them wrong, and I will,” he said.

Other possible contenders for the job at No. 10 Downing Street include Health Secretary Wes Streeting and popular Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham. Mr. Starmer and other allies were criticised for preventing Mr. Burnham from returning as an MP to Parliament in February (a first step towards becoming Prime Minister) by saying Labour would not back him as a candidate in a by-election.

On Sunday, Ms. Rayner said it was time to acknowledge that “blocking” Mr. Burnham from returning to Parliament was a mistake.

In his speech, Mr. Starmer said the decision about Mr. Burnhan’s potential return to Westminster was a question for Labour’s National Executive Committee, as he emphasised that he had a close working relationship with the Mayor.

Published – May 11, 2026 05:47 pm IST