Burnham becomes UK PM, promises ‘circuit breaker’ moment for Britain

Andy Burnham has become the sixth UK prime minister in a decade after formally taking over from Keir Starmer following a meeting with King Charles at Buckingham Palace. In his first address from Downing Street, Burnham described his arrival in power as a "circuit breaker" moment for Britain and pledged to restore hope to millions of people. He acknowledged the cost of living pressures across the country and said he would start announcing measures on Tuesday to give people "some breathing space now." Burnham announced John Healey as his choice to replace Rachel Reeves as chancellor, a surprise appointment after Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood were tipped for the role. In other senior appointments, Miliband moves from his energy and net zero brief to become foreign secretary, and Mahmood stays at the Home Office. Louise Haigh was made first secretary of state and chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster. A series of senior figures announced they were leaving the cabinet, including Reeves, David Lammy, Darren Jones, and Steve Reed. Burnham told reporters he was looking at cutting energy bills and bus fares as part of a fully funded cost of living support package, and suggested he could cut income tax for lower earners in the budget.

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Sources: The Guardian