About this episode

The episode discusses the appointment of Andy Burnham as the new prime minister of the UK following Keir Starmer's resignation.

The UK gets its seventh prime minister in the last decade. In a familiar ceremony, Keir Starmer, who was ousted by his own Labour Party tendered his resignation to King Charles at Buckingham Palace. The party’s new leader, Andy Burnham, was then given an audience with the King who invited Burnham to form a new government. We learn about Burnham, whose political career has been shaped by England’s North-South divide. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Topics covered

• politics
• UK government
• prime minister
• Labour Party
• North-South divide

Keywords

• prime minister
• UK politics
• Andy Burnham
• Keir Starmer
• Labour Party
• Buckingham Palace
• government

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Labour Party, King Charles

Places: Great Britain, UK, Buckingham Palace

More episodes of State of the World from NPR

• Does control of the Strait of Hormuz set a worldwide precedent? · July 17, 2026 · 6 min
• The U.S. track record for wars in the Middle East · July 16, 2026 · 6 min
• Why China’s rust belt region has an outsized influence on Chinese culture · July 15, 2026 · 6 min
• The U.S. Congressman detained by Israeli settlers in the West Bank · July 14, 2026 · 8 min
• The U.S. will allow Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles, will it change the war? · July 13, 2026 · 7 min
• What does Iran stand to lose if the ceasefire with the U.S. collapses? · July 10, 2026 · 10 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the State of the World from NPR podcast page.