Andy Burnham has officially become the United Kingdom’s prime minister after “kissing hands” with Britain’s King Charles III on Monday at the Buckingham Palace.
“Andrew Burnham MP accepted The King’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement, adding the king had asked him to form the next government.
British prime ministers are not sworn in. Instead, they meet the monarch to take part in an ancient ritual called “kissing hands” (once there was an actual kiss, but these days it is just a conversation).
Burnham, 56, arrived at the palace about 12:05pm, local time, on Monday. His meeting with the king took place in the Chinese Dining Room. He is the UK’s seventh prime minister in 10 years.
Burnham, a former Labour MP, had most recently served as mayor of Greater Manchester before returning to national politics by winning a by-election last month.
He replaces Sir Keir Starmer, who won a landslide general election victory for Labour two years ago but has since become deeply unpopular in many parts of the country.
