5 Key Moments From Andy Burnham’s First Day as U.K. Prime Minister, Including His Invite to President Trump

Andy Burnham was officially appointed the U.K.’s new Prime Minister during a meeting with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on Monday.

Delivering his first speech outside Downing Street, his new residence, Burnham framed the leadership transition as “a circuit breaker for Britain,” one that will bring forth the “biggest changes in the last forty years.”

Burnham is the U.K.'s seventh Prime Minister in a decade, and he has taken over the ruling Labour Party at a difficult time, just weeks after heavy losses in local polls under Keir Starmer's tenure.

Acknowledging the revolving door of Westminster, Burnham said “Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again” and expressed a readiness to take on the challenge.

“I know people at home are fed up with politics. I hear you,” he said. “And I want to be honest with you. We have not been good enough, and we need to be better."

Burnham, who until recently served as mayor of Greater Manchester, echoed pledges he made during his first speech as Labour leader on Friday and vowed to re-embrace working class communities while representing all of the U.K.

Ahead of sharing a detailed set of policies, and aside from his much-discussed cabinet picks, here are the key moments from Burnham’s first day at the helm of Downing Street.

A new start for Westminster and Washington?

Since February, Trump has repeatedly criticized Starmer and other European leaders for refusing to actively get involved in the Iran war.

"This is not Winston Churchill we're dealing with," Trump said of Starmer at the height of tensions in March, as he accused the former U.K. leader of "ruining" relationships.

Shortly after taking office Monday afternoon, Burnham shared a call with Trump, during which he “underlined his commitment to defense and security and said ensuring the security of the U.K. and its allies was at the top of his agenda,” according to Downing Street.

Burnham is also said to have reaffirmed the U.K.’s commitment to “securing the movement of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz” amid the renewed U.S.-Iran conflict over the vital trade passage.

Despite having expressed disapproval of Trump’s trip to England during the U.S. President’s first term, Burnham extended an invitation for Trump to visit his beloved Manchester in the future. "The Prime Minister also hoped that he would be able to show the President what Manchester had to offer during a visit in the future," read the update.

The invitation is reportedly set to coincide with the 2027 G20 summit, which is rumoured to be taking place in Manchester.

TIME has reached out to Downing Street for comment.

During his Makerfield by-election campaign in June, Burnham issued a stark warning about the U.K. heading towards the political pathway of the U.S.

"Politics is getting more polarized. And the path we're on, if we are not careful, is a path towards the politics of the United States of America," he said. "A polarized, poisonous politics where people in communities don't work together anymore.”

The U.K.’s environmental policies have been a frequent target for Trump, whose Administration has moved to roll back climate measures.

Starmer’s Labour government came into power aiming to phase out fossil fuels from the U.K.’s electricity generation by 2030. Last year, it announced its intent to ban new North Sea oil and gas licenses. 

Trump has repeatedly criticized the move, urging the U.K. to expand its drilling in the North Sea.

Burnham has signaled he isn’t against reconsidering the British access to North Sea oil and gas. “I’ve got something of an open mind, you know. I don’t have a sort of fixed position,” he said in early June.

On the eve of Burnham entering Downing Street, Trump claimed that “the people of Aberdeen, in Scotland, are dancing in the streets because the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has stated that he will be opening up, all the way, the invaluable North Sea Oil."

Burnham has yet to make any announcements regarding the reports he may fast-track North Sea oil drilling on undeveloped sites, all while avoiding any new licenses.

Burnham’s first instruction as Prime Minister aims to tackle rough sleeping

“I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction, to end rough sleeping in our country,” Burnham said as he addressed the nation outside Downing Street, just hours after visiting a homelessness charity in London. 

“It’s about putting the right values and the right standards at the heart of government. I will put the care of people at the heart of everything I do,” Burnham pledged. “I will give this my all, and I ask you all to pull with me.”

The government later announced Burnham’s national drive will be “backed from day one by an additional £340 million [around $456 million].”

“The policy forms a key part of his pledge on the steps of Downing Street to help everyone to live well and build a more preventative state, investing in success rather than paying for failure,” read a statement from Downing Street.

Burnham also led efforts to tackle rough sleeping in Manchester during his mayoral tenure. The number of people seen sleeping rough in Greater Manchester on a single night was 44% below the peak in 2017, according to a February 2024 report by Greater Manchester Combined Authority. 

Burnham to set out a “10-year plan” for Britain

“Later this year, I will bring forward a new plan for Britain, a 10-year plan, laying out a path from where we are now to where I believe we all want Britain to be, wherever we're coming from, whatever party we support,” said Burnham. 

The Prime Minister pointed towards the deindustrialization and privatization movements seen in the 1980s, which he deems as failures, particularly for those outside of the capital. 

“Many feel as though they're still in decline, and they don't have the ability to turn things around,” he said.

As part of the 10-year plan and his broader mission to restore public trust in politics, Burnham committed to “put life's essentials back under stronger public control to make them affordable to you again, reindustrializing Britain using public procurement to back British industry.”

Some of Britain's leading train operator’s services have already entered public ownership under Starmer’s government.

A pledge to help combat the cost of living crisis starting "from tomorrow"

Burnham said from Tuesday onwards he will start laying out efforts to give “people some breathing space” by helping with the cost of living.

Consumers in the U.K. have been hit with higher fuel prices as a result of the Iran war, building on the pre-existing cost of the living crisis. In April 2026, 79% of adults in Great Britain reported an increase in their cost of living compared with the previous month. Among those, "92% said it was because food shopping had increased in price, while 80% said it was because fuel prices had increased," according to data from the Office of National Statistics.

Burnham also expanded on his plans to oversee “the biggest council house building programme" since the postwar period. “We will build more council homes. That is the fair and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down, to meet our fiscal rules, and to honor our commitments on defence to our international partners,” he said. 

The aim is to “help people to live well” by building “a more preventative state, investing in people’s success, rather than paying for failure," Burnham added.

The newly-instated Prime Minister has not yet laid out plans for how his cost of living measures or housing plans will be funded.

A focus on supporting young people and their futures

“We will help more young people into work by changing the education system and giving them more support, more mental health support,” Burnham said outside Downing Street.

Earlier this month, Burnham argued there should be recognition that “it's harder growing up these days than it was for us in the 70s and 80s.”

He said the government needs to lay out alternative paths for young people rather than the sole focus being on traditional higher education, such as obtaining a university degree.

Instead, Burnham is keen for “technical qualifications” to be highlighted and would ideally like for 45-day work placements to be available to young people who want them, alongside more apprenticeships of a higher quality.