A NATO summit and mending EU relations are among first tasks for new UK leader Keir Starmer

LONDON (AP) — New British Prime Minister Keir Starmer doesn’t get to take a breather. After a draining six-week election campaign, the center-left politician must get straight to work assembling his government, tackling a mountain of domestic problems and putting his stamp on the U.K.’s relations with the rest of the world.

It’s a daunting list for a new leader who has never served in, much less led, a government. But Starmer insisted that he is up to the challenge of heading the U.K. in a world that is “a more volatile place” than it has been for many years.

Like someone moving into a new home with their IKEA furniture, Starmer’s first task was to assemble a Cabinet.

Starmer began putting together his government soon after he walked through the door of 10 Downing St. on Friday afternoon following his landslide election victory. He has a plethora of lawmakers to choose from – his Labour Party won more than 400 seats in Thursday's election, almost two-thirds of the 650 in the House of Commons.

Key players in the new administration include Treasury chief Rachel Reeves – a former Bank of England economist and the first woman to hold that job – who will liaise with international financial institutions.

The new foreign secretary, Britain’s top diplomat, is David Lammy, a Harvard Law School graduate who vowed to “reconnect Britain for our security and prosperity at home.”

Starmer has said his message to the world from the U.K. is: “We’re back.” He wants Britain to take a larger role on the global stage after years of soured relations with Europe over Brexit and the inward-looking U.K. political soap opera that followed.

In the hours after taking office, the new prime minister held a string of calls with world leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Union leader Ursula von der Leyen and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He also dispatched Lammy on a weekend trip to Germany, Poland and Sweden.

Starmer takes office at a time of multiple crises — including the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, a surging far right, and a muscle-flexing China — that will test the cool head he honed in his former job as Britain’s chief prosecutor.

Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general of the Royal United Services Institute, a military think-tank, said that with France facing a far-right surge in legislative elections and the U.S. embroiled in a polarizing, high-stakes presidential election, Britain “has the most stable government of all the major Western democracies.”

“It therefore has the opportunity, and responsibility, to help steady the ship of Western unity at a time of exceptional political fluidity,” he said.

Starmer is set to make a high-profile international debut by flying to Washington Tuesday for NATO’s 75th-anniversary summit. The gathering is overshadowed by questions about Biden’s fitness and the uncertain outcome of the November U.S. presidential election.

Starmer has said there will be no change to Britain’s staunch support for Ukraine, and has pledged to increase U.K. military spending to 2.5% of GDP — though he hasn't put a date on it.

“The decision for Starmer is how much to try to persuade the U.S. –- as well as other wavering members of NATO — to remain a defender of Ukraine, on the grounds not just of sovereignty but European security,” said Bronwen Maddox, director of international affairs think-tank Chatham House.

Starmer also faces divisions within his party over Israel’s war against Hamas. Several Labour lawmakers were defeated in the election by challenges from pro-Palestinian independents angered by the party’s initial refusal to call unambiguously for a cease-fire in the Gaza conflict.

On July 18, Starmer will host leaders from across Europe at England’s Blenheim Palace for a meeting of the 47-nation European Political Community. It’s a chance to begin to mend ties with the U.K.’s neighbors in Europe, which have frayed and soured since the U.K. left the European Union in 2020.

Starmer says he wants to reduce some of the post-Brexit barriers for people and goods that have hobbled relations between Britain and the bloc. He insists, though that he won’t reverse Brexit, or rejoin the EU’s single market and customs union.

Critics say that shows a lack of principle, but supporters say it respects Britons’ desire not to reopen the divisive Brexit debate.

Starmer also faces a daunting range of domestic challenges, underlaid by the widespread sense that many facets of Britain’s public life have broken down during 14 years of Conservative rule

Stagnant growth and low productivity restrain the economy while millions of people struggle with the cost of living. The country’s aging infrastructure is creaking and the state-funded National Health Service is at breaking point, with long waiting lists for treatment, a situation that has been worsened by a long-running series of doctors’ strikes. Ending that dispute will be a priority, but Starmer has vowed to keep a tight lid on spending and won’t want to agree to the big salary increases the doctors are seeking.

Starmer promises to take control of migration and stop people making dangerous journeys across the English Channel in small boats, but he is scrapping the Conservative government’s controversial plan to send asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda — declaring Saturday that the Rwanda deal was “dead and buried.” The U.K. has paid Rwanda hundreds of millions of pounds (dollars) as part of the deal without a single flight taking off.

He’s also expected to emphasize Britain’s commitment to fighting climate change after a series of backward steps under the Conservatives.

The new government’s legislative plans for the next year will be set out on July 17 in a speech delivered by King Charles III at the ceremonial State Opening of Parliament.

“A lot of people are feeling a sense of potential transformation,” said Lise Butler, senior lecturer in modern history at City University of London. “I think that there’s going to be elevated expectations for Starmer, which are going to be difficult to meet.”

Associated Press video journalist Kwiyeon Ha contributed to this story.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech, following his first cabinet meeting as Prime Minister, in London, Saturday, July 6, 2024. Britain’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer has appointed a Cabinet of Labour Party lawmakers and a few outside experts as he tries to tackle priorities including boosting a sluggish economy, building more homes and fixing the creaking state-funded health service.(Claudia Greco, Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Labour Party Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to the media and supporters in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Labour leader Stammer won the general election on July 4, and was appointed Prime Minster by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, after the party won a landslide victory. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Britain's Labour Party Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria arrive in Downing Street and greet supporters in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Labour leader Stammer won the general election on July 4, and was appointed Prime Minster by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, after the party won a landslide victory. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Britain's Labour Party Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria arrive in Downing Street and greet supporters in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Labour leader Stammer won the general election on July 4, and was appointed Prime Minster by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, after the party won a landslide victory. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Britain's King Charles III, right, shakes hands with Keir Starmer where he invited the Labour Party leader to become prime minister and to form a new government, following the landslide general election victory for the Labour Party, in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (Yui Mok, Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Labour Party Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria enter 10 Downing Street in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Labour leader Starmer won the general election on July 4, and was appointed Prime Minster by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, after the party won a landslide victory. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Britain's Labour Party Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria waves to the crowds of supporters and media from the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. Labour leader Starmer won the general election on July 4, and was appointed Prime Minster by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, after the party won a landslide victory. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

CHILGOK, South Korea (AP) —

Wearing an oversized bucket hat, silver chains and a black Miu Miu shirt, 82-year-old Park Jeom-sun gesticulates, her voice rising and falling with staccato lines about growing chili peppers, cucumbers and eggplants.

Park, nicknamed Suni, was flanked by seven longtime friends who repeated her moves and her lines. Together, they're Suni and the Seven Princesses, South Korea 's latest octogenarian sensation. With an average age of 85, they're probably the oldest rap group in the country.

Born at a time when women were often marginalized in education, Park and her friends were among a group of older adults learning how to read and write the Korean alphabet, hangeul, at a community center in their farming village in South Korea’s rural southeast.

They were having so much fun that they started dabbling with poetry. They began writing and performing rap in summer last year.

Suni and the Seven Princesses enjoy nationwide fame, appearing in commercials and going viral on social media. South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo sent them a congratulatory message last month on their first anniversary, praising their passion for learning.

At a road near their community center in Chilgok on Thursday, Park and her friends were rehearsing for a performance Friday evening in the capital, Seoul, where they were invited to open an event celebrating hangeul heritage.

“Picking chili peppers at the pepper field, picking cucumbers at the cucumber field, picking eggplants at the eggplant field, picking zucchini at the zucchini field!” the group rapped along with Park. "We’re back home now and it feels so good!”

Park said the group usually practices two or three times a week, more if they're preparing for a show.

On Friday, hundreds of people applauded and cheered, and then the group lined up for a photo with South Korean Culture Minister Yu In Chon.

Park talked about the joy of learning to read, saying she can now “go to the bank, ride the bus and go anywhere” she wants without someone helping her.

“During and after the Korean War, I couldn’t study because of the social atmosphere, but I started learning hangeul in 2016,” Park said, referring to the devastating war between North and South Korea from 1950 to 1953. “Being introduced to rap while learning hangeul has made me feel better, and I thought it would help me stay healthy and avoid dementia.”

Kang Hye-eun, Park’s 29-year-old granddaughter and a local healthcare worker who helps older adults, said she was proud to see her grandmother on television and in viral videos.

“It’s amazing that she got to know hangeul like this and has started to rap,” she said.

Members of Suni and the Seven Princesses stand for a photograph with South Korea's Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In Chon, after performing at the "Hangeul Week" at Gwanghwamun square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Members of Suni and the Seven Princesses pose for a photo at Gwanghwamun square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Park Jeom-sun, 82, leader of Suni and the Seven Princesses, adjusts her hat in a mirror during the opening ceremony of the Korean alphabet, "Hangeul Week" at Gwanghwamun square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Members of Suni and the Seven Princesses, stand after their performance during the opening ceremony of the Korean alphabet, "Hangeul Week" at Gwanghwamun square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Members of Suni and the Seven Princesses acknowledge applause by the crowd during the opening event celebrating the heritage of the Korean alphabet, called "Hangeul," in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Young rappers bow in respect to members of Suni and the Seven Princesses after their performance during the opening ceremony of the Korean alphabet, "Hangeul Week" at Gwanghwamun square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Members of Suni and the Seven Princesses perform during the opening ceremony of the Korean alphabet, "Hangeul Week" at Gwanghwamun square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A member of the audience uses a smartphone to film members of Suni and the Seven Princesses performing during the opening ceremony of the Korean alphabet, "Hangeul Week" at Gwanghwamun square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Members of Suni and the Seven Princesses rehearse for the opening event celebrating the heritage of the Korean alphabet, called "Hangeul," at Gwanghwamun square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Park Jeom-sun, 82, leader of Suni and the Seven Princesses, prepares for the opening of an event celebrating the heritage of the Korean alphabet, called "Hangeul," at Gwanghwamun square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Members of Suni and the Seven Princesses pose for a photo in Chilgok, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

82-year-old Park Jeom-sun walks with her granddaughter Kang Hye-eun outside their old house in Chilgok, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Members of Suni and the Seven Princesses rap inside a senior community center in Chilgok, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Members of Suni and the Seven Princesses exercise at senior community center in Chilgok, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Members of Suni and the Seven Princesses rest after their lunch at senior community center in Chilgok, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Leader Park Jeom-sun, 82-year-old, center, and other members of Suni and the Seven Princesses eat lunch before their training at senior community center in Chilgok, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Kang Hye-eun makes corrections to some Korean words written by her grandmother Park Jeom-sun, 82, leader of Sunni and the Seven Princesses, at a senior community center in Chilgok, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

This combination image made from eight photographs show members of Suni and the Seven Princesses at a senior community center in Chilgok, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)