Al Jazeera explains what happens next as Andy Burnham, who left Westminster in 2017 to become Greater Manchester mayor and earned the nickname 'King of the North', succeeds Keir Starmer as UK prime minister after Starmer stepped down on 22 June 2026 under pressure from controversies and heavy local election losses. Elected Labour leader unopposed, Burnham is expected to accept King Charles III's invitation to form a government, name his Cabinet, and confront a sluggish economy and high living costs, with the next election not due until 2029.