British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves publicly endorsed Andy Burnham as the next Prime Minister of the UK on June 25, 2026, ahead of the Labour Party leadership contest set to begin July 9 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Reeves declared, "I'm supporting Andy to be prime minister," and said she believes he would make a "great prime minister" though she defers appointment decisions to him [1, 3].
Keir Starmer resigned as Labour leader on June 22, triggering the leadership contest [1, 4]. Burnham is currently the only declared candidate to replace Starmer and is widely expected to become Prime Minister by mid-July [1, 3, 4]. Reeves and Burnham appeared together at a Westminster Hall rally on the day of Starmer’s resignation, though Reeves did not attend Starmer’s resignation speech [2, 3].
Reeves, who has worked alongside Starmer for six years including as shadow chancellor, became Chancellor of the Exchequer after Labour’s 2024 election victory [1, 3, 4]. She said she expects the future Prime Minister and Chancellor to inherit a stronger economy than when she took office two years ago [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. She emphasized the need to maintain fiscal rules on balancing spending with tax revenues and reducing debt relative to GDP [1, 2, 4].
Reeves did not rule out moving to a junior cabinet role under Burnham but said those decisions would be Burnham’s prerogative [1, 2, 3, 6, 5]. One of her aides has reportedly lobbied major UK companies and trade groups to support keeping Reeves as Chancellor [3].
She spoke about fiscal discipline and her accomplishments as chancellor at the British Chambers of Commerce global annual conference on June 25 [2, 3].
The official Labour leadership contest begins on July 9, and Burnham is expected to be confirmed as Prime Minister by mid-July 2026 [1, 4].
