Andy Burnham becomes Britain's new prime minister
Andy Burnham, Britain's new prime minister (photo: Getty Images)
Andy Burnham, who recently became leader of the Labour Party, has officially become Britain's new prime minister, succeeding Keir Starmer, according to his press conference outside 10 Downing Street and Sky News.
Who is Andy Burnham?
Burnham was born in Liverpool in 1970 into a family of devoted Labour Party supporters. He began his political career working for Members of Parliament, and in 2001 was elected as the MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester.
Burnham also served in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He held the positions of Secretary of State for Culture and Secretary of State for Health.
He unsuccessfully ran for the Labour Party leadership in 2010 and 2015. In 2017, he left Parliament to become the first Mayor of Greater Manchester.
It was in that role that Burnham earned the nickname King of the North after refusing to impose additional COVID-19 restrictions in his region during the coronavirus pandemic.
Burnham is a strong supporter of aid for Ukraine and the initiator of the United for Ukraine refugee program, as well as the international network of municipalities, the Unbroken Cities Network.
The reasons behind Britain's change of government and the challenges facing the new prime minister have been examined.
