Andy Burnham will become the UK's seventh prime minister in ten years on Monday, when he takes over from Sir Keir Starmer – and he will do so without a general election. The new Labour leader, who replaced Starmer after winning the backing of 379 of the party's 403 MPs, will formally be appointed by King Charles III after Starmer tenders his resignation. For many voters, the speed and apparent ease of the transition can seem baffling, particularly in a country where general elections are usually seen as the only legitimate route to power. But the UK's constitutional system allows a change of prime minister without a public vote, and it has happened with increasing frequency in recent years.
The basic rule is simple: the prime minister is not directly elected by the public. Instead, they are the leader of the political party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons at a general election. That leader is chosen by the party's own internal rules – in Labour's case, a vote of MPs and party members. Because the public votes for a local MP, not a prime minister, the country can change prime ministers between elections if the governing party's leadership changes. In this instance, Burnham became Labour leader after Starmer resigned, meaning he automatically becomes the next prime minister. The process on Monday will see Starmer meet the King to resign, followed by Burnham accepting the monarch's invitation to form a government. He will then deliver a speech outside Downing Street.
“How a UK prime minister can change without an election, explained through Andy Burnham's appointment.”
This is not a new phenomenon, but its use has become more common. Since 2016, the UK has had six prime ministers: David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, and Sir Keir Starmer. The last four all took office without a general election, as party leaders changed mid-parliament. Critics argue this undermines democratic accountability, because the person who becomes prime minister may not have been on the ballot when the public last voted. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Burnham "comes in with absolutely no mandate of any kind at all" and called for an immediate general election. Burnham, however, has ruled out calling one, and the next election is due by mid-2029 at the latest.
For UK readers, the practical impact is significant. The 2024 general election gave Labour a landslide victory, but Starmer's unpopularity and a series of policy U-turns led to a collapse in support. Reform UK swept local elections in May 2025, and polls now show a five-way split, with Labour and Reform each at 24 per cent. Burnham, a former mayor of Greater Manchester who returned to Parliament only a month ago in a by-election, now leads a government that was elected under a different leader on a different manifesto. While he has pledged to stick broadly to Labour's 2024 tax commitments – not raising income tax, VAT or National Insurance – he has also promised a "distinctively Labour" programme of reindustrialisation, greater public ownership, and devolution of power from Westminster. The question of whether a new prime minister has a mandate to change direction is one that will loom over his premiership.
Q: Can the prime minister call a general election at any time? Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, elections are held every five years, but the act was repealed in 2022. Since then, the prime minister can request an early election, but it requires a two-thirds majority in the House of Commons or a vote of no confidence. Burnham has said he will not call an early election.
Q: How is the Labour leader chosen? Labour's rules require candidates to secure nominations from at least 20 per cent of Labour MPs (81 MPs). If only one candidate passes that threshold, they are declared leader without a contest. Burnham was the only candidate to reach the threshold, securing 379 nominations, so he became leader without a vote of party members.
Q: Does the King have any power to refuse the appointment? The monarch's role is strictly ceremonial. By convention, the King must appoint as prime minister the person who can command a majority in the House of Commons. Refusing would be unprecedented and would trigger a constitutional crisis.
What happens next is that Burnham will announce his cabinet on Monday, with Shabana Mahmood and Ed Miliband among the frontrunners for chancellor. He will then face a difficult budget in October and must decide how to fund his promises on social care and defence. With Parliament in recess until September, he will face no scrutiny from MPs for weeks. The next big electoral test will be the May 2027 local elections. For now, Burnham has told his party that "this is our last chance to change".
