London, UK - Andy Burnham became UK Prime Minister on Monday after meeting with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, making him the seventh to move into Downing Street in a little over ten years.
"Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again," Burnham said on the steps of the iconic 10 Downing Street after being asked by King Charles III to form the next UK government.
Taking over from outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer – who resigned in June amid deep unpopularity and disastrous local election results – Burnham pledged to "issue my first instruction to end rough sleeping in our country."
Starmer departed Downing Street on Monday morning, declaring in a farewell speech that his two years in office had made Britain a better place.
The monarch met Starmer to accept his resignation and Burnham arrived next for the formal procedure in which the king asked him to form the next government.
The 56-year-old is the seventh prime minister to hold office at Downing Street in a decade defined by Brexit, which triggered David Cameron's resignation in 2016.
"I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago," Starmer told reporters in his farewell speech. "I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved."
Burnham will face an in-tray overflowing with challenges and little time to make his mark – the next general election is due in less than three years.
In an interview with The Times published late Sunday, Burnham said he wanted to draw a line under a decade of political turmoil.
"What we've been doing hasn't been working. That's the way I see it," he said. "I am going to try and do things in a different way."