ANDY Burnham officially becomes Britain’s new Prime Minister today (July 20), after taking over from Sir Keir Starmer.
But how much does the top job actually pay, and how does it stack up against his previous earnings for ?
Andy Burnham was confirmed as Labour’s new leader on July 17, 2026 Credit: AFP
How much will Andy Burnham earn as Prime Minister?
The Prime Minister’s pay is made up of two parts – an MP’s salary plus an additional amount for holding the chief role.
On April 1, 2026, the basic .
The decision was made by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the body that sets MPs’ pay.
Ministerial salaries, including the Prime Minister’s, are set separately through a different legal process.
Under a statutory order that took effect on April 1, 2026, the Prime Minister’s additional entitlement rose to £83,837, up from £80,807.
Combined, that means is set to earn £182,436 a year as Prime Minister.
How does it compare with his salary as Mayor of Greater Manchester?
As Mayor of Greater Manchester, was paid an annual salary of £118,267, and donated a fair chunk of it to charity.
When he first became mayor in 2017, he pledged to donate 15% of his earnings to a fund tackling homelessness in Greater Manchester.
And on , Burnham said he intends to carry on the practice.
He said: “One thing that I want to continue from my time as mayor of Greater Manchester is donating 15% of my salary.
“I did that for nine years as mayor to tackle homelessness in Greater Manchester and I am going to carry it forward as MP for Makerfield but this time donating to worthy local causes at the heart of our communities.”
Burnham didn’t move directly from the Manchester Mayor’s office into .
He was automatically disqualified as Mayor the moment he , and spent around a month as a backbench MP before becoming Prime Minister on July 20.
What other perks come with the job?
Alongside his salary, Burnham gets the use of a rent-free flat on Downing Street, along with Chequers, the Prime Minister’s country retreat in .
While No10 is the PM’s official residence and the base for cabinet meetings and government business, several recent occupants have actually slept next door.
, but the four-bedroom flat is significantly larger than the one above No10, and PMs with young families have tended to take it instead.
started the trend in 1997, swapping flats with his chancellor , and the same arrangement was later used by , , and .
, however, chose to stay in the smaller flat above No10.
The two buildings are connected internally, so the switch makes little difference to how the Prime Minister actually works day to day.
Unlike his predecessors, as his main residence.
He plans to keep living at his family home near Wigan and spend part of each week working from a proposed Manchester base .
But rest assured, Larry – the famous Downing Street cat and Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office – is .
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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