Why Britain is getting a new prime minister without a general election

By — Sylvia Hui, Associated Press Sylvia Hui, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/why-britain-is-getting-a-new-prime-minister-without-a-general-election Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Why Britain is getting a new prime minister without a general election World Jul 20, 2026 8:32 AM EDT LONDON (AP) — Veteran Labour Party politician and popular former Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has become Britain's next prime minister, formally taking over Monday from Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation last month. Burnham was the only candidate to secure enough support from his fellow Labour lawmakers to replace Starmer as leader of the governing party. Because Labour holds a majority in government, its leader also becomes the U.K. prime minister. Burnham received support from 379 out of 401 Labour Party lawmakers, and was announced Labour leader at a special party conference on Friday. He officially became prime minister on Monday, when he met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace for a formal go-ahead. A look at how and why Britain is getting a new prime minister just two years after Starmer led his party to a landslide election victory: Why is there a change of leader without a general election? Britain's parliamentary democracy allows governing parties to change leaders midterm, with the winner becoming prime minister without the need for a general election. Prime ministers can be replaced if one has resigned as leader of their party, or been forced out by a leadership challenge. The next national election does not have to be held until 2029, five years from the last election in 2024. Starmer announced he was quitting as Labour leader on June 22 after barely two years in power, ending a tenure marred by a series of political missteps — most notably his decision to appoint a man with close ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as Britain's ambassador to the United States. Heavy losses suffered by Labour in a midterm set of local elections in May prompted many lawmakers to demand Starmer's resignation. And when Burnham — favored by many within Labour to lead the party and the country — won a special election for a seat in Parliament, Starmer gave in to the mounting pressure to quit. His resignation automatically triggered a Labour leadership contest. Under Labour rules, a lawmaker can challenge the leader if they have the backing of a fifth of the party's House of Commons lawmakers. There was no contestant other than Burnham, who comfortably surpassed that threshold. Burnham is the seventh prime minister in a decade It's not unusual for prime ministers to come to power without a broad election under Britain's parliamentary system. In fact, four of the six British prime ministers in the past decade took the top job by winning internal party leadership contests to replace their predecessors , not by public vote. READ MORE: How Brexit br