Tuesday briefing: Inside Andy Burnham’s first day

Big changes afoot … Andy Burnham outlines his plans during his first speech as prime minister. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters View image in fullscreen Big changes afoot … Andy Burnham outlines his plans during his first speech as prime minister. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters Tuesday briefing: Inside Andy Burnham’s first day In today’s newsletter: As the new prime minister enters No 10, our journalists take you through what it was like covering his first hours in power Good morning, and let’s abandon all conditional tenses because finally Andy Burnham is UK prime minister and, on a day of ceremony and celebration, he pledged his government would be “a circuit breaker for Britain”. A defining characteristic of Team Burnham thus far has been the concentrated silence at its heart – a vacuum filled by increasingly frenzied speculation in recent days about his cabinet picks and policy priorities. As the black box finally cracked open on Monday, with his first instruction as prime minister – to end rough sleeping – and his surprise choice of chancellor, I was at the Guardian’s head office in London, speaking to editors and correspondents covering the early hours of Burnham’s premiership about what they might reveal for the country. Five big stories UK news | A 28-year-old man from Rotherham has been charged with the murder of the former MP and Reform UK party spokesperson Ann Widdecombe. Technology | Cases of predators coercing children into harming themselves or producing sexual photos and videos of themselves have surged globally in the past year , child safety experts and law enforcement officials warn. Iran | Nearly 100 US service members have been injured over the last two weeks of escalating strikes on Iran, the Pentagon has said, as Tehran launched a wave of reprisals to the tenth consecutive night of attacks. Ryanair | The airline has reassured travellers that its planes are safe after a passenger was almost sucked out of a window mid-flight this month, and have reported strong summer bookings after a profits slump. UK politics | Reform UK MP, Sarah Pochin, has complained that the standards system investigating Nigel Farage over undeclared gifts is a “kangaroo court” and that “the media, the British state and the old parties have mounted a vicious and desperate campaign to stop Reform UK”. In depth: ‘He is at his greatest moment of power right now’ View image in fullscreen Done deal … Andy Burnham at his audience with King Charles yesterday. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA Since his return to the Commons last month, Burnham has engaged in minimal media activity, eschewing set-piece interviews for curated online Q&As with the public, and the occasional podcast or TikTok – most recently revealing his approach to tea-making ( milk first , which is the best way, don’t write in). First Edition readers were positive about more direct contact with a new leader – some of you wrote in to tell me as much in response to a recent call out. But other w