Overview
- Andy Burnham was formally appointed prime minister after King Charles III asked him to form a government on Monday and he accepted the role.
- Burnham placed early diplomatic calls to Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump to underline continued UK support for Ukraine and steady relations with the United States.
- He has pledged an inclusive Labour cabinet drawn from different party factions and said his domestic priority will be to devolve more powers to local government.
- Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch welcomed the appointment but publicly pressed Burnham for concrete plans on taxes and to lift the ban on new oil and gas licences.
- The change comes during a period of repeated leadership turnover in Britain and shows Burnham trying to balance promises of domestic reform with reassurance to allies about defence and international commitments.