Another PM resigns – how did we get here?

Tim Farron  |  Comment
Date posted:  22 Jun 2026
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Another PM resigns – how did we get here?

Left: Keir Starmer. Right: Andy Burnham. Photos: Wikimedia Commons

Political drama has roared back into Westminster today. Within five hours, Keir Starmer resigned as Prime Minister, and Andy Burnham was sworn in as the new MP for Makerfield. The assumption of course, is that Burnham will take over as Prime Minister in the coming weeks.

There may yet be a leadership contest, but primary challenger Wes Streeting has said that he will support Burnham, so it looks more likely to be a coronation for the former Manchester Mayor and so-called King of the North.

What has led us to this point, where the revolving door of Downing Street has spun yet again? How are we at the stage where, despite Starmer’s massive 174 majority at the 2024 general election, we are about to get our seventh Prime Minister in ten years?

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