Keir Starmer’s final week as UK prime minister concluded with an emotional farewell in the House of Commons and the award of France’s highest decoration, the Grand Officer of the Légion d’honneur, by President Emmanuel Macron. The Élysée Palace confirmed the honour was bestowed on 13 July during a Paris summit of the “coalition of the willing” supporting Ukraine, a grouping Starmer co-founded. In his last Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer told MPs, “This is the end of my political journey,” and pledged “wholehearted support” to his successor. Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, is set to be confirmed as Labour leader on 18 July and will become prime minister on 20 July after securing the backing of the party’s MPs and major trade unions.

Burnham inherits an immediate security crisis. Counter-terrorism police are investigating the murder of Ann Widdecombe, a 78-year-old former Conservative minister and later Reform UK figure, found dead at her Devon home on 10 July. Officers have described the killing as a “targeted attack” and are examining whether the suspect, a 28-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder and terrorism offences, was motivated by left-wing extremism or planned further violence against other politicians. In response, Burnham has called for a “serious review” of MPs’ security, stating that “politics has darkened in the last decade.” The case has intensified demands from Reform UK for upgraded protection for its leader Nigel Farage, with the party claiming his state-funded security was recently downgraded.

On the economy, the Paris-based OECD released its 2026 UK survey on 15 July, warning that “activity remains subdued” and urging “fiscal discipline” alongside targeted investment to reduce regional productivity gaps. The report projects GDP growth of 0.9% this year and 1.1% in 2027, while noting that high energy prices and the Middle East conflict pose downside risks. Burnham, who brands his approach “business-friendly socialism,” has pledged to devolve greater powers to regional mayors and to renationalise some public services, drawing on his nine-year tenure in Manchester. Political scientists in Canada note that his platform is designed to reclaim working-class voters who felt abandoned by Labour’s centrist shift, though he has also committed to the government’s existing borrowing limits to reassure markets.

Internationally, Starmer’s departure removes an architect of the European response to Russia’s invasion. The coalition he built with Macron has announced that a multinational force will begin training in “neighbouring countries” in the coming months to prepare for deployment in Ukraine after a ceasefire. Burnham’s foreign policy positions remain largely undefined, though he is expected to maintain support for Kyiv. The transition marks the seventh change of prime minister in a decade, and constitutional experts point out that Burnham assumes office without having led his party in a general election, having entered Parliament only in a June by-election. He will face pressure to seek an early national mandate, but the next election is not legally required until August 2029.