Andy Burnham is set to become the next prime minister of the United Kingdom. The Financial Times and New York Times reported the news.

The change is expected by July 20 if unchallenged. Burnham replaces Keir Starmer who announced his resignation on June 22 2026.

Starmer stepped down after Labour's poor local election results. Burnham got support from over 90% of Labour lawmakers.

He was the only candidate. Burnham has promised to boost economic growth across the country.

But Britain faces deep economic problems that will make this hard. He faces a slow economy and struggling public services.

He also faces rising living costs. There is pressure to boost defense spending as the United States becomes a less reliable ally.

Burnham is also limited by Labour's 2024 promise not to raise taxes on working people. He will need to handle these problems while trying to grow the economy.