Andy Burnham is not yet prime minister – but he is already drawing fire from Donald Trump and scrutiny from every corner of British politics. The newly elected MP for Makerfield is the only declared candidate to replace Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister, meaning he is widely expected to enter Downing Street within weeks. His rapid ascent has forced voters to ask: who is this man, and what would his premiership look like?
Burnham, 56, has spent most of his career in domestic politics. He served as a Labour minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, later becoming shadow health secretary and shadow home secretary. In 2017 he was elected mayor of Greater Manchester, a role he held for nine years before returning to Westminster in June 2026 via a byelection in Makerfield. As mayor, Burnham donated 15% of his £118,267 salary to homelessness projects. He has now pledged to give the same proportion of his MP's salary – currently £98,599 – to local causes in his constituency. As prime minister, his total salary would exceed £174,039.
“Explainer on Andy Burnham, his path to PM, Trump's reaction, and key policy choices.”
Trump’s intervention has been the most eye-catching. The US president called Burnham “extremely liberal” and “the mayor of a town”, and predicted he would “probably won't open up” the North Sea for further drilling. This matters because Britain will host the G20 summit next year and the G7 the year after, both of which Trump would attend. Burnham has been critical of Trump in the past: in 2017 he said he would refuse to meet him as a “matter of principle”, and in 2021 he called any UK politician who “gave Trump the time of day” shameful after the US Capitol riots.
Yet the relationship may be more nuanced than past tweets suggest. Some Labour ministers, notably Foreign Secretary David Lammy, have built working friendships with Trump’s administration. And Burnham’s team has declined to comment on Trump’s recent remarks. The key test could come over North Sea drilling. Two large fossil fuel projects, Jackdaw and Rosebank, have been held up by legal challenges. Labour MPs and climate campaigners now widely expect a Burnham government to approve Jackdaw at least. Bill Esterson, a Labour MP and chair of the Commons Energy Security Committee, said: “My assumption is that both Jackdaw and Rosebank will go ahead.” This would represent an early signal to Trump – who has pressed Britain to be more permissive on drilling – and a delicate balancing act for a party that includes strong climate advocates.
Q: Why is Andy Burnham expected to become prime minister without a contest? Because he is currently the only declared candidate in the race to replace Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader. If no other candidate comes forward by the deadline, he will be elected unopposed and become prime minister.
Q: What is the Twickenham dispute referenced in the sources? There is no Twickenham dispute in the sources. The sources mention a dispute with London Mayor Sadiq Khan, but not Twickenham.
Q: What is Burnham’s position on North Sea oil and gas? He has not publicly set out a detailed stance, but MPs and climate campaigners expect his government to approve the Jackdaw gas field and possibly the Rosebank oil field. Trump has criticised him as “extremely liberal”, implying he will be less permissive.
What happens next depends on whether any other candidate enters the Labour leadership race. If none does, Burnham will become prime minister within weeks. His first major decisions will include the North Sea drilling approvals and how to handle relations with Donald Trump ahead of the G20 and G7 summits. Meanwhile, his social media style – a short, self-deprecating video that fluttered his eyelashes after being mocked by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch – suggests a more agile communicator than his predecessor.