LONDON: Andy Burnham, newly elected leader of the Labour Party, on Monday took charge as the UK's new Prime Minister.

King Charles III invited the 56-year-old former mayor of Greater Manchester to form a new government following the resignation of Keir Starmer moments earlier to mark the formal handover of power.

"The Rt. Hon. Sir Keir Starmer MP had an audience of the King this morning and tendered his resignation as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury, which His Majesty was graciously pleased to accept," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

Burnham, elected Labour leader unopposed last week, is expected to get to work as PM immediately by announcing his picks for Cabinet. The country's fifth Prime Minister in four years has pledged to bring in "stable and responsible" politics.

Earlier, Starmer delivered his final address from 10 Downing Street as Britain's Prime Minister before making his way to meet the King to formally tender his resignation.

“My work is done,” he said.

The 63-year-old Labour MP, who announced his decision to step down last month, said he was "passing the baton" to Burnham, who had his “full support”.

“I go with good grace, I go with a smile and I go proud of everything that we have achieved,” said Starmer.

His Cabinet colleagues and officials lined up to applaud his departure from Downing Street after two years, having won a landslide election for Labour in the July 2024 general election.