Andy Burnham becomes British Labour Party leader

Loading player...
Former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has officially become the new leader of the British Labour Party. He is expected to take over as the UK’s prime minister on Monday, when Sir Keir Starmer will step down after spending two years in the role. We hear from a Labour MP, who’s supportive of Burnham, about what the new leader’s foreign policies might be.

Also in the programme: China hits back at US President Donald Trump as he accuses the country of interfering in the 2020 presidential election; and a new Japanese law upholds the country’s ban on female monarchs.

(Photo: Andy Burnham speaks after being confirmed as the Labour Party's new leader and the UK's next Prime Minister, 17th July 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Henry Nicholls)
17 Jul 10AM English United Kingdom News

Other recent episodes

Two US military personnel killed in Iranian attack on Jordan

Tehran said its strikes on Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait were a response to a seventh consecutive night of US air attacks. Also in the programme: we speak to Canada's Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience as smoke from hundreds of wildfires spreads across North America; and we ask how…
18 Jul 5PM 48 min

Iran and US continue to exchange blows for seventh night

Iran has fired missiles and drones towards Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain after the US attacked Iranian targets. The two countries have been exchanging blows for seven consecutive nights, despite the temporary ceasefire. We speak to experts about Iran's strategy and what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz. Also in…
18 Jul 9AM 48 min

The US and Iran continue to trade attacks

Iranian drones have struck a growing list of targets in Kuwait. Also on the programme, Britain's ruling Labour Party elects Andy Burnham as its leader. What do we know about the man who become Prime Minister on Monday? We mark the death of the legendary cricketer Sir Garfield Sobers and…
17 Jul 5PM 47 min

Protests in Ukraine as Defence Minister Resigns

Mykhailo Fedorov stands down after only 6 months. Critics of President Zelensky say that he looks weak after accepting the loss of his innovative Defence Minister. Also in the programme: wildfires in Scotland's Cairngorm Mountains and Christina Kahlo on her famous great aunt, Frida.
16 Jul 5PM 50 min

Zelensky dismisses Ukraine’s defence minister

Protests have been taking place in several Ukrainian cities against President Volodymyr Zelensky's surprise dismissal of popular Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. We get reaction from an opposition Ukrainian MP. Also on the programme: a court in Italy has given a 12-year sentence to the former motorway boss blamed for the…
16 Jul 10AM 52 min