Andy Burnham to become Prime Minister and announce his Cabinet today: Live updates

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Updated: 05:29 EDT, 20 July 2026 Andy Burnham is set to become Prime Minister later this morning following his 'coronation' as Labour leader last week.The 56-year-old - the first Northern PM since Huddersfield-born Harold Wilson - will be invited to form a new Government by the King later today, shortly after Keir Starmer travels to Buckingham Palace to offer his resignation.Burnham is expected to use his first speech on Downing Street to set out his path for what he will call a 'more stable and responsible politics', and will reveal his first Cabinet appointees.But he continues to face calls to stage a general election, having been made PM without a mandate - and faces a momentous challenge in trying to convince voters in the south that he is the man for them.Polling conducted for the Daily Mail reveals that, outside of his Manchester stronghold, many question Mr Burnham's right to be PM after he effectively took power by stealth.Mr Burnham may have sought to show he is the man for the south on Friday - after staging his first engagement in Gravesend in Kent.His coronation comes just months after he was blocked from running as a candidate in February's Gordon and Denton by-election, which was won by the Green Party's Hannah Spencer, as Mr Starmer sought to hold onto the keys to No 10.But the former Labour leader relented and the party's national executive committee allowed him to run in the Makerfield by-election last month, which he won with an outright majority.Why can Andy Burnham become Prime Minister without winning an election?The United Kingdom's unique political system often perplexes observers in other countries, particularly where new leaders of Government are democratically chosen every time, without fail.Andy Burnham's ascension to the Labour throne - and subsequently, to No 10 - without any kind of mandate is, therefore, surprising.But in the UK, the prime minister invited to form a Government by the King is simply whichever leader of a political party commands a majority in the House of Commons.This is usually a single party but is, as we saw in 2010 with the Cameron-Clegg government, occasionally propped up with the help of another minority group.But so long as Labour commands a majority in the Commons, as it does now, its leader can effectively become Prime Minister without having to prove that they are what voters want.And that leader is only really elected by their local constituents when they vote to make them their local MP - as Andy Burnham was when he ran in the Makerfield by-election last month.Opposition parties are calling for Mr Burnham to call a general election now and prove that he has a mandate - but there are no signs he plans to do so.But he will have to face the music eventually. By law, a general election must be held by August 15 2029. Like it or not, he must concede voters will eventually get their say.Andy Burnham doesn't speak for us, say voters in South: Mail poll shows new PM faces a legitimacy crisisBefore Andy Burnham has even set foot in No 10, it is clear he faces an uphill battle to convince voters of his legitimacy.Exclusive polling conducted for the Daily Mail by Survation reveals that voters outside of his Manchester home territory are unconvinced that he speaks for them.In the South East of England, fewer than a quarter believe his rise to power has been 'legitimate', compared with 40 per cent who say it was not. And 51 per cent of the 2,060 adults asked last week feel he should call an early general election, compared to 31 per cent who believe he can continue without securing a mandate.Read the full story here:Good morningWelcome to the Daily Mail's live blog, as Andy Burnham is set to become Prime Minister later today.In around an hour and a half, Keir Starmer will leave No 10 for the last time.He will make the short journey to Buckingham Palace where he will meet King Charles III and formally offer his resignation as Prime Minister.Minutes later, Mr Burnham (seen below this morning) will travel to the Palace himself and the King will ask him to form a Government - after which he will travel to No 10 and begin the tricky task of persuading voters across Britain that he can lead the country without a mandate.Follow our live blog for updates throughout today.