Prime Minister

Rightwing populist’s inconsistent positions on Europe and Russia suggest he is testing how far he can push partners and electorateOne evening nine years ago in the Bulgarian town of Balgari, a Brazilian tourist approached the casually dressed, middle-aged man surrounded by bodyguards, bystanders and photographers. “Why are you important?” she asked. “I’m not so important,” he replied. She repeated the question and he admitted: “I’m the president.”Now, in 2026, the rightwing populist Rumen Radev is no longer the president, but the prime minister – the more powerful of the two positions – after his Progressive Bulgaria party secured an overwhelming majority in April’s election. While many in Europe breathed a sigh of relief that month at the demise of Viktor Orbán in Hungary, others wondered if Radev would become the EU’s next disruptor-in-chief. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese facing criticism after appearing to joke on a podcast about a gift of melons from Sanae TakaichiAustralian prime minister Anthony Albanese has rejected calls to apologise to Japan’s prime minister over a joke he made about melons on a satirical podcast, amid a media frenzy and accusations of sexual innuendo.Government MPs have defended the prime minister as criticism mounted over last month’s remarks, branded by the Coalition opposition as “grubby”. Assistant minister Pat Gorman told media: “I don’t know why we’re still talking about this”. Continue reading...

Prime minister Sanae Takaichi visited Kumamoto prefecture almost a week after a magnitude 7.1 quake hit, killing 38 peopleJapan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has visited the south-western prefecture of Kumamoto, where recovery efforts are being hampered by heat and a lack of water supplies, almost a week after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake killed dozens and caused widespread damage.Thirty-eight people died during the quake, including one person who died of apparent heatstroke while taking shelter in a car in hot weather, officials said on Monday. Continue reading...

Additional £340m over three years allocated to get people off the streets ‘at the earliest opportunity’UK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham has promised to end rough sleeping in England in his first pledge as prime minister, allocating an additional £340m over three years as he seeks to replicate the homelessness schemes he rolled out in Greater Manchester.Speaking in front of Downing Street immediately after becoming prime minister, Burnham said he would try to get people off the streets “at the earliest opportunity”. Continue reading...

New Labour leader takes over from Keir Starmer and will head to Downing Street to appoint his cabinetUK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham has formally become the UK prime minister after meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace, the fourth person to hold the role in less than four years and the sixth within a decade.Burnham, who took over from Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour party on Friday, accepted the appointment as prime minister shortly after Starmer had gone to the palace to resign to the monarch. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer will give his final speech from Downing Street before Burnham arrives and is appointed as new PMGood morning. Today we are getting a new PM. It is the sixth time this has happened in just over a decade (Theresa May replaced David Cameron on 13 July 2016), and so in some respects there is nothing very new or surprising about this. Yet the process has been unusual. In the past, when parties in power have replaced a PM, generally they have opted for someone popular with their own MPs, but less popular than their predecessor with the public at large (Liz Truss, Theresa May, Gordon Brown), or for someone more popular with the public, but less liked by their own activists (John Major, Rishi Sunak). At the start of the year, anyone looking at polling would have concluded that the logical choice for Labour would have been to replace Keir Starmer with Andy Burnham. Labour is not always noted for taking decisions that will be electorally beneficial, but in this case that is what it has achieved. It has replaced a PM who had become an electoral millstone with one of the most admired politicians in the country, and with someone – for the moment at least – with his whole party behind him.That may not be the case by the end of the day, after Burnham has named his cabinet. We’ll have to see. Here is Rowena Mason’s overnight story about what to expect today.This week [Burnham] will tell us of his “ten-year plan for the country”. Perhaps his premiership won’t last that long, he conceded. “I’m not saying that means I’m setting out to say I’m going to be here for ten years … it’s more that we’re not in the right place structurally, we’re not in the right place as a country. I think people can feel that.”One thing I heard most on the doorsteps in Makerfield was frustration about the personal allowance, frozen at £12,570 … [That complaint] lodged in my mind.They’re just characterising me as a tax raiser. Well, again, it’s never that simplistic, is it? Continue reading...

Amnesty International says Albanese has opportunity to ‘reaffirm mutual commitment’ to rule of law as thousands in diaspora expected at stadium eventGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to Australia in three years has sparked calls for the federal government to raise human rights concerns, as excitement builds within the nation’s Indian diaspora.Modi’s visit begins on Wednesday evening and marks his third since becoming prime minister. It will see him return to Melbourne after more than a decade, with a stadium event expected to attract more than 20,000 people. Continue reading...

• Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, met with the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in Doha. • The two officials discussed the current state of bilateral relations and explored strategies to further support and develop diplomatic ties between the two nations. • The meeting focused on the latest developments within Syria and addressed several other issues of common interest to both countries.

Makerfield MP said he would consider reducing business rates as part of a package that could also include freeze on private rentsAndy Burnham promised to ease the cost of living if he becomes prime minister in his first interview since returning to parliament.The Makerfield MP told LBC that if he became prime minister later this month, as expected, he would look at reducing business rates for some high street businesses, bringing down water and energy costs by de-privatising companies and making bus travel free for 16- to 18-year-olds. Continue reading...

• Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, has sought to distinguish his political identity from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. • Burnham was sworn into Parliament on Monday shortly after Starmer announced his resignation, positioning himself as a potential successor for the premiership. • Despite his efforts to differentiate himself, Burnham may be constrained by the center-left Labour Party platform that ended 14 years of Conservative rule in 2024.

From Cameron’s Brexit exit to Starmer’s Burnham bow-out, half a dozen PMs have gone. So who’s the best of the bunch?The UK has had six prime ministers in the last 10 years – with a seventh likely to be in place by as early as mid-July.John Crace ranks those who have been booted out of Downing Street between 2016 and 2026. Continue reading...

• Keir Starmer has resigned as UK Prime Minister, marking his fall from a landslide election victory and becoming the sixth person to hold the office since 2016. • European media outlets, including Spain's La Vanguardia, are reacting with bemusement, describing the UK's political landscape as a "revolving door." • The situation signifies a major shift in international perception, as Britain's reputation for political stability has been replaced by a sense of chronic instability.

Britain will soon have its fifth prime minister in four years. How did we get here and what challenges await Starmer’s successor?UK politics live – latest updatesBritain is to get its fifth prime minister in four years after the current incumbent of Downing Street, Keir Starmer, announced on Monday that he would resign.It was widely expected and comes after months of mounting pressure on Starmer, who led the Labour party to a landslide victory in the 2024 UK general election but who has faced months of pressure to go from members of parliament (MPs) for the centre-left party. Continue reading...

Former Greater Manchester mayor will be overwhelming favourite in ensuing contest to succeed Keir StarmerAndy Burnham is to stand to become the Labour leader and therefore prime minister, the former Greater Manchester mayor who returned to parliament last week has announced.Such a move was inevitable after Burnham overwhelmingly won a byelection in Makerfield, having stood on a platform of wanting to become an MP again so as to replace Keir Starmer. Continue reading...

Labour leader bows to mounting pressure after Andy Burnham’s success against Reform UK in MakerfieldKeir Starmer has announced he will stand down as prime minister after days of intense pressure from Labour MPs, including cabinet ministers, following the return of Andy Burnham to Westminster.Less than two years after a historic election victory, Starmer had faced calls from his MPs to set out a timeline for his departure, with many of them spooked by the threat from Nigel Farage’s party ahead of the next general election. Continue reading...

Overwhelming pressure from Labour MPs pushing Starmer towards decision to step downUK politics – live updatesKeir Starmer is expected to announce on Monday that he will step down as prime minister, after overwhelming pressure from Labour MPs to make way for Andy Burnham to become Labour leader.The prime minister and his allies had insisted for weeks that they would fight a leadership challenge from Burnham, or anyone else, before the Makerfield byelection in which Burnham secured a return to Westminster. Continue reading...

Makerfield victory gives Burnham a path back to Westminster and a chance to challenge Starmer for PMCelebrations and a swift exit after a Burnham win ‘beyond our wildest dreams’“We know no king but the King in the North”, declares the young Lady Lyanna Mormont in the hit HBO series Game of Thrones. In the early hours of Friday morning, in a nondescript conference hall in the north of England, it appeared that the electorate agreed.About 70,000 voters in a post-industrial region of north-west England may have changed the face of British politics this week, after electing the charismatic Labour politician Andy Burnham to represent them in London. Continue reading...

Andy Burnham will return to Westminster as an MP, and potential challenger to Keir Starmer, after decisively beating Reform UK to win the Makerfield byelection. Kiran Stacey and Jessica Elgot chat through what happens nextWhat would ‘change’ look like if Andy Burnham becomes prime minister?Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/politicspod Continue reading...

From public ownership, to devolution and the cost of living, the policies of the potential Labour leadership challenger will face intense scrutinyUK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham’s victory in Makerfield sets up a battle for Downing Street. Allies of the outgoing Greater Manchester mayor want him to be installed as prime minister as quickly and painlessly as possible, while those close to Keir Starmer want the Labour leader to fight on.If he does become prime minister, Burnham will be expected to deliver on the “change” he promised after his win on Thursday night. But what would that look like, and what policies would his government be likely to pursue? Continue reading...

After winning the Makerfield byelection, the returning Labour MP faces a number of scenarios in his bid to replace Keir Starmer• UK politics – live updates• Full report: Burnham wins by huge majorityAfter Andy Burnham’s seismic victory in Makerfield, his prospects of becoming prime minister in short order look significantly higher than they did 24 hours ago.But there are many variables in that process – from whether he faces a rival such as Wes Streeting in a leadership contest, to whether Keir Starmer is quickly ready to accept the likelihood of his political demise. Continue reading...

Updated document, which emphasises harm done to African women, is being considered by other Caribbean countriesBarbados’s prime minister, Mia Mottley, has announced a new manifesto from Caribbean leaders asserting the “moral, ethical and legal case” for reparations over damage caused by hundreds of years of enslavement.Mottley was speaking at a “historic” conference in Ghana to advance the push for reparatory justice after the United Nations adopted a landmark resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. Continue reading...

Pedro Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, and his socialist predecessor José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero are charged with offences including influence peddlingEurope live – latest updatesSpain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, is facing one of the longest and most difficult weeks of his premiership as both his wife and his fellow socialist predecessor prepare to appear before judges investigating them for alleged influence peddling and other offences.Sánchez, who came to power in 2018 by promising to end the corruption that had mired the ruling conservative People’s party (PP), has found his family, his party and his administration engulfed by a series of scandals. Continue reading...

• Indian immigration authorities barred Zahed Ur Rahman, the Policy and Strategy Adviser to the Prime Minister, from entering Delhi on Sunday evening. • Despite a prior diplomatic note notifying India of his visit, officials denied entry for "mysterious reasons" before eventually granting permission following higher-level instructions. • Rahman declined to enter India after the initial delay and instead returned to Dhaka via Colombo.

Tom Kerridge says ‘whole of hospitality’ should get behind Burnham who has called for VAT cut from 20% to 10%Chefs and restaurateurs have said they hope Andy Burnham becomes prime minister after he backed calls to cut VAT tax for hospitality businesses.Burnham, who is standing as the Labour candidate in the Makerfield byelection and is expected to launch a challenge to Keir Starmer’s leadership if he wins, has called for the rate to be cut from 20% to 10% to be in line with European rates. Continue reading...

Judge rules initiative to force binding vote on secession invalid as Alberta premier calls for referendum on matterThe Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has said that Alberta is “essential” to the country’s future, hours after the province’s leader moved the oil-rich region closer toward a referendum on independence.Separatists in the western province spent months collecting signatures seeking to trigger a binding October vote on seceding from the nation. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: As ​the polls tighten a​​round Benjamin Netanyahu, the coming months may redefine Israel’s political order without resolving its most entrenched conflictsGood morning. On Wednesday, Israeli legislators took the first steps towards dissolving parliament and calling fresh nationwide elections. Leading leftwing Knesset member Yair Golan hailed it “the beginning of the end of the worst government in Israel’s history.” Benjamin Netanyahu has spent 20 of the last 30 years as Israel’s prime minister, the last four of which have seen him helm a far-right coalition.Under the incumbent government, settlement building in the illegally occupied West Bank has accelerated, while many international humanitarian NGOs have been banned from the Palestinian territories. Following Hamas’s killing of 1,200 Israelis on 7 October 2023, Netanyahu has orchestrated a campaign of violence in Gaza, wiping out more than 10% of the population, and flattening the strip in what the UN has declared a genocide. Netanyahu remains on trial for three counts of corruption.UK news | The parents of a girl critically injured in the Southport attack were allowed no more than 12 counselling sessions after the atrocity, while others described a “woeful” lack of support.UK politics | Sadiq Khan has blocked a £50m Metropolitan police deal with the controversial US tech company Palantir, sparking a bitter row between the London mayor and Scotland Yard.Israel | Israel has said it has deported all the foreign activists it seized from a Gaza-bound flotilla, after a global outcry over their treatment in custody.UK news | Single-sex toilets and changing rooms in England, Wales and Scotland must exclude transgender men and women, according to a new code of practice from the equalities watchdog.Ukraine | Ukrainian drones hit the Syzran oil refinery more than 800km inside Russia, setting it on fire, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday. Continue reading...

Péter Magyar’s draft amendment would prevent Viktor Orbán from returning to the roleEurope live – latest updatesHungary’s new government, led by Péter Magyar, has put forward a constitutional amendment that would limit prime ministers to a maximum of eight years in office, effectively barring Viktor Orbán from returning to the role.The draft amendment was submitted on Wednesday, just over a week after the new government took office. It marked Magyar and his Tisza party’s first step in dismantling a constitution that was unilaterally rewritten and amended more than a dozen times as Orbán and his Fidesz party worked to turn Hungary into a “petri dish for illiberalism”. Continue reading...

Manchester mayor and Labour’s Makerfield byelection candidate wants to make politics ‘less point-scoring, more problem-solving’UK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham has said he will back sweeping changes to the electoral system to make politics “less point-scoring, more problem-solving” if he becomes prime minister.The Greater Manchester mayor has previously called for the introduction of proportional representations for UK general elections, handing more power to minority parties like the Greens. Continue reading...