Andy Burnham, the politician who became known as the \u201cKing of the North\u201d during his tenure as mayor of Greater Manchester, walked through the doors of the Prime Minister\u2019s Office for the first time as the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ceremony of the transfer of power<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The process followed British constitutional protocol. The outgoing Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, visited Buckingham Palace this morning to tender his resignation to King Charles III. Shortly before this meeting, Sir Keir Starmer stood for the last time outside the black door of Number 10 Downing Street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his farewell statement, he said that he was leaving the Prime Ministership \u201cin good spirits\u201d and \u201cwith a smile\u201d, thanking his colleagues and the public for their support during his term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The applause from cabinet members gathered on the pavement outside Number 10 continued until his motorcade left the road for the last time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few minutes later he departed for Buckingham Palace, where he formally submitted his resignation to King Charles III, completing the constitutional process of transferring power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Immediately afterwards, Andy Burnham was received by the monarch, who formally entrusted him with forming a government. The ceremony is known historically as the \u201ckissing hands\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In modern times, the kissing of the monarch\u2019s hand has been replaced by a handshake and the customary commemorative photograph, but the symbolism of a peaceful and constitutionally guaranteed transfer of power remains unchanged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shortly after 12:30 p.m., having now officially received the mandate to form a government from the king, the new prime minister returned to Downing Street, where hundreds of journalists, photographers, and television crews were waiting for him for his first speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brexit Eats Prime Ministers – Fifth Prime Minister in Four Years<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Today marks another milestone in one of the most volatile periods in modern British political history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andy Burnham becomes the country’s fifth prime minister in just four years and the fourth during the reign of King Charles III, after Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The succession has heightened the sense of political instability in the country, a fact that the new prime minister himself acknowledged from the first minutes of his term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I hear your frustration”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Without a podium, in a choice that surprised even Downing Street executives, Andy Burnham stood in front of the microphone, with a crowd of supporters welcoming him with applause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In an obviously symbolic tone, he called today \u201ca moment of reflection and new determination.\u201d \u201cOur generation in politics must raise the bar. Britain must show that it can find its stability again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Acknowledging the frustration of many citizens with the political system, he declared: \u201cI hear you. We were not good enough and we must become better. And we will become better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, he argued that today could be \u201ca turning point for Britain,\u201d presenting his vision for a new model of governance, more collaborative and less centralised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n