Andy Burnham: 'King of the North' Becomes UK PM
The new prime minister faces scrutiny over how rarely leaders have come from the North, with only a handful of recent examples cited by historians.
- On Monday afternoon, Andy Burnham will be sworn in as the 58th Prime Minister of the UK, becoming the first leader from Greater Manchester in 200 years since Bury-born Sir Robert Peel.
- Huddersfield's Harold Wilson, who served as Labour Prime Minister twice in the 1960s and 70s, was the last Northerner to hold the highest office before Burnham; historically, very few leaders have hailed from the North of England.
- Southampton-Born Rishi Sunak, the Tory Prime Minister from 2022-24, represented Richmond in North Yorkshire since 2015, while Sir Tony Blair was born in Edinburgh but raised in London.
- Manchester also claims the only Welshman to serve as Prime Minister, David Lloyd-George, who was born in Chorlton-on Medlock in 1863 and led the UK through the First World War.
- Blair represented Sedgefield for 24 years; for years he faced mockery over a claimed memory of watching Jackie Milburn play for the Magpies, despite being four years old and living in Australia when Milburn retired.
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On Monday (20), the United Kingdom began a new chapter in its troubled recent political history. The new leader of the Labour Party Andy Burnham assumed the position of British Prime Minister – he is seventh to occupy the post in the last ten years. He replaces Keir Starmer, who was ahead of the party in 2024, when the Labourers achieved an overwhelming victory in the national election, but saw his popularity melt in the last 23 months: before h…
“The King of the North” is Britain’s new PM
Andy Burnham, then the mayor of Manchester, speaks onstage during the 2023 SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas. | Sean Mathis/Getty Images This story appeared in Today, Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day. Subscribe here. The first thing you need to know about the UK’s new prime minister is that he’s previously moonlighted as a DJ. Okay: probably not the first thing you needed to…
Sydney Morning Herald
Andy Burnham becomes UK PM
Andy Burnham has become the new prime minister of the UK after Keir Starmer stepped down.
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