Andy Burnham, the former Mayor of Greater Manchester, has been sworn in as Britain's new Prime Minister, succeeding Sir Keir Starmer, whose approval ratings had reportedly fallen to the lowest recorded for any Prime Minister since polling began in 1977. Coverage of Burnham's arrival in Downing Street has highlighted his enthusiasm for guitar music, drawing on a 2022 interview in which he discussed his favourite albums, offering an early glimpse of the incoming leader's personal tastes.

In that interview with music website The Quietus, Burnham, 56, named albums by The Strokes, The Pogues, The Smiths and The Wedding Present among his favourites. He singled out George Best, the 1987 debut album by Leeds indie band The Wedding Present, as "the pinnacle of guitar music", saying he "played this to death" and loved it because it "had everything" for him as a fan of guitar bands.