Andy Burnham, 7th Prime Minister Since Brexit, Faces Thorny EU Negotiations

Herz — World Desk · 21 July 2026 at 13:16 · 30s summary · 4 min read

What We Know

Andy Burnham entered 10 Downing Street on July 21, 2026. He is the seventh British Prime Minister since the 2016 Brexit referendum, according to The Guardian.

Among his first calls were those with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Friedrich Merz, German Chancellor, and Emmanuel Macron, French President.

Von der Leyen stated she looked forward to strengthening the EU-UK partnership "for the security of our common continent" and "the prosperity of people on both sides of the Channel." Merz invited Burnham to visit Berlin "very soon."

A New Europe Team

Burnham appointed Hamish Falconer as Minister for Europe, replacing Nick Thomas-Symonds.

Falconer, elected MP in 2024, spent a decade at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He also worked at the National Crime Agency (NCA), the UK's national law enforcement agency, on terrorism, hostage recovery, and human trafficking cases. He later served as Middle East Minister under Starmer.

Johnny Reynolds returned to the position of Business Secretary.

Three Key Issues for the Autumn Summit

An EU-UK summit is planned for autumn 2026, but the date has not yet been set. Three agreements are on the agenda.

The first concerns reducing red tape for fresh food exports. The second aims to connect the UK and EU emissions trading systems (ETS) — carbon markets that allow buying and selling rights to emit CO2.

The third is a mobility scheme for 18-30-year-olds, covering work, studies, travel, and volunteering. Negotiations are stalled: EU member states believe the cap proposed by London is too low.

Ireland holds the rotating EU Council presidency — a role that involves chairing Council meetings and facilitating decision-making within the EU — through the end of 2026. Its Minister for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, said this month he expected "a positive continuity, at a minimum."

The Starmer Government's Legacy

Under the Starmer government, the UK and EU signed a security and defence pact and cooperated closely on Ukraine. They failed to agree on British participation in a €150 billion EU defence lending mechanism.

In Starmer's final week in office, the UK signed an agreement to participate in the €90 billion EU loan (£77 billion) for Ukraine, allowing British firms to supply more weapons financed through this mechanism.