Pakistan, July 21 -- Prime Minister Andy Burnham said politicians "need to be better" as he delivered his first speech Monday as Britain's new leader.

Burnham spoke for several minutes outside 10 Downing St., where he promised to end street sleeping by homeless people and deliver a "circuit breaker" for a system he says has taken wrong turns since the 1980s.

After weeks as leader-in-waiting, Burnham officially became prime minister during a meeting with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, where the monarch asked him to form a government.

He succeeded Keir Starmer, on a day when Britain's political turbulence gave way, at least temporarily, to smooth choreography.

Buckingham Palace has released a photo of the king and Burnham shakin...