Burnham | Pakistan

Burnham pledges to spend 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035, in line with new NATO target

Britain’s King Charles III on Monday appointed Andy Burnham as prime minister after outgoing Keir Starmer officially tendered his resignation, the palace said. “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. Burnham, 56, is delivering his first speech outside 10 Downing Street. Burnham became Britain’s sixth prime minister to move into Downing Street in 10 years, with an in-tray overflowing with challenges and little time to make his mark. The new leader takes over from the unpopular Starmer just two years after the outgoing prime minister led the Labour Party to power in a landslide election victory after 14 years of Conservative rule. In an interview with The Times published late on Sunday, Burnham set out his ambition for change, saying he wanted to draw a line under a decade of political turmoil. “What we’ve been doing hasn’t been working. That’s the way ...

President hopes UK, under Burnham will contribute towards ending hostilities in ME and restoring Islamabad MoU

LONDON: Declaring “this is the end of my political journey”, outgoing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer bowed out at his final Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, pledging his wholehearted support to his successor as he prepares to hand over to premier-in-waiting Andy Burnham. Mr Starmer announced his resignation last month, bowing to months of pressure to step down after a series of scandals, missteps and policy U-turns. They blighted his two-year tenure after he led his centre-left Labour Party to victory in the 2024 elections following 14 years in opposition. Burnham is expected to be crowned Labour’s leader on Friday after securing overwhelming support from the party’s 403 MPs and the backing of major trade unions. Labour leader exits after scandals, U-turns and mounting pressure The party’s comfortable majority in the 650-seat House of Commons means he will automatically become Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade. Facing his last weekly grilling from MPs in parliament, Mr Starmer said he wante...

Andy Burnham was on Tuesday striding towards becoming the UK’s next prime minister, winning the backing of the country’s largest union, adding to an already unassailable lead in Labour’s leadership contest. The former Manchester mayor, so far the only candidate to be the party’s new leader, had notched up 349 nominations from fellow MPs late on Monday — making it mathematically impossible for any challenger to defeat him. The 56-year-old is bidding to replace Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation last month, bowing to months of internal pressure to step down after a series of scandals, missteps and policy U-turns in his two-year tenure. The Unison trade union, the largest in Britain with more than 1.3 million members, said on Tuesday it was throwing its weight behind Burnham. “He has a tough task ahead, but he is a strong, powerful voice who commands respect,” said Unison chairwoman Linda Hobson. Under party rules, Burnham, once dubbed the “King of the North” for his staunch backing of Manchester, must ...