Image source, AP
ByAlex Boyd and Duncan Walker
Updated 1 hour ago
Andy Burnham has become UK prime minister, replacing Sir Keir Starmer in No 10 Downing Street.
Burnham, who became leader of the Labour Party on Friday, is the fourth prime minister in five years.
What does Burnham plan to do as prime minister?
Andy Burnham has been fairly tight-lipped about his plans for specific policies, but here's some of what we know:
Cost of living: After becoming prime minister, Burnham is expected to lay out plans to give "people breathing space on the cost of living".
Digital ID: Burnham will scrap plans for a government-issued digital ID for all British adults, in an attempt to shift focus to "the daily priorities facing people across the country, according to his office.
North Sea oil: The new prime minister will also announce plans for new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. This is likely to only support existing licences rather than issuing new ones, BBC News understands.
Thames Water: Burnham has previously said he wants to see "greater public control" of water and energy sectors but has stopped short of calling for full nationalisation. Lenders to Thames Water are preparing to challenge any attempts to nationalise the country's biggest water company.
Taxes: Burnham has said there is "some room" for movement on tax. In an interview with LBC, he suggested business rates on warehouses could be increased to fund tax cuts for pubs and some high-street businesses. But he has said he would stick to pledges Labour made not to raise VAT, income tax or National Insurance in its general election manifesto in 2024. He has not ruled out a wealth tax.
Local power: A key priority will be to hand more power to councils and authorities away from Parliament. That would involve giving them more control in areas such as housing and transport. As part of that he wants to create another No 10 team over 150 miles north of London, based in Manchester.
Who could be in his cabinet?
Burnham will want to bring in a new team of ministers.
However, he has kept the identity of them very close to his chest.
The most intense focus has been on who he will appoint as chancellor to replace Rachel Reeves.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband was long thought to be the most likely candidate, but Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has emerged as the front-runner.
Handing out cabinet jobs is always a balancing act between ensuring the different wings of the party are represented and securing a gender balance in the top team. An all-male line-up in the major cabinet roles would not be a good look.
Burnham has appointed James Purnell, a close friend and ally from his last stint in government, to the key backroom role of chief of staff.
Former transport secretary Louise Haigh, who ran Burnham's by-election campaign, is also likely to be given a role as a minister in his Downing Street operation
Who is Andy Burnham's wife and do they have children?
Burnham is married to Marie-France van Heel. They met while they were students at Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, in 1989.
They have been together for more than 30 years and married since the early 2000s.
Van Heel has worked in marketing and strategy for many years, notably for Sky, and has also been involved in the logo designs for the BBC and England Rugby.
The couple have three children - Jimmy, Rosie and Annie.
What did he do before becoming prime minister?
Burnham was born in Liverpool in 1970 and grew up in Cheshire. He is a lifelong Everton fan and keenly into sports.
He studied English at the University of Cambridge and first worked in journalism before moving into politics in his early 20s.
He became an MP for the first time in 2001 and held cabinet roles in former prime minister Gordon Brown's government, before eventually standing down as an MP in 2017.
During that time, he twice ran for the Labour leadership - he lost on both occasions.
Most recently, Burnham was mayor of Greater Manchester, a role he held from 2017 until last month.
He drew praise while mayor for his work to transform the region's transport system, and gained a strong reputation as a voice for the north of England.
What have other world leaders said about Burnham?
Not many international leaders have commented on Burnham's ascent to power.
US President Donald Trump has not said much about Burnham so far, but has said he suspects that he is "extremely liberal". The pair are on opposite sides of the political spectrum.
Russia said it did not expect a change in its poor relations with the UK with Burnham in charge.
British support for Ukraine, and Russian hostility towards the UK, have been the key aspects of recent history between the two countries.
In Ukraine, there is some concern about the risk of political instability in Britain. Sir Keir has said the UK's support "will not waver" when the new prime minister takes charge.
In the only interview a French official has given on Burnham, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot wished him well and hoped for "as much stability as possible" in the UK.
How did Burnham become PM?
Sir Keir won a landslide general election victory two years ago, but began losing public support after a series of policy mis-steps and U-turns.
The final straw for many Labour MPs was when right-wing party Reform UK made big gains at local elections in May, leaving many of them fearing Reform leader Nigel Farage would win the next general election.
Burnham had long had ambitions to be Labour leader - but could only challenge for the top job as a sitting MP.
He returned to Parliament a month ago in a by-election, with his victory over the Reform candidate convincing many Labour MPs he was the right person to replace Sir Keir.
Other senior Labour figures - such as former health secretary Wes Streeting - abandoned their own leadership ambitions and got behind Burnham, along with the overwhelming majority of the party's MPs.
It meant he became the Labour leader without a contest.
In the UK, prime ministers are not directly elected. Unlike US or French presidents, for example, they are the leaders of the party with the most MPs in the House of Commons.
This means the UK can change prime ministers without an election - something that has happened with increasing frequency in recent years.
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