Andy Burnham will become Britain’s next prime minister after securing the backing of 349 Labour MPs, making it mathematically impossible for any rival to challenge him. The new MP for Makerfield received an extra 27 nominations on Monday, taking his total from 322 last week to 349, with only 54 MPs yet to back him — including Sir Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood, who cannot nominate because of her role as NEC chair. Under Labour rules, candidates need 81 nominations to enter the contest.
Burnham is set to replace Starmer as Labour leader at a special party conference on Friday, and will enter Downing Street as prime minister on 20 July. The 56-year-old returned to Westminster only three weeks ago after winning the Makerfield by-election, following nine years as Greater Manchester mayor. His rise has been extraordinary: he left Westminster in 2017, and this is his third attempt at the leadership, having lost to Ed Miliband in 2010 and Jeremy Corbyn in 2015.
“Andy Burnham secures Labour leadership with 349 MPs, on track to become PM on July 20.”
Speaking at an online hustings with the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday evening, Burnham promised to build a “broad church” cabinet reflecting “contribution, experience and commitment”. He vowed to create a “team and culture where everyone is valued, seen and listened to”, and said he wants to be “accountable, visible and accessible” to establish a feedback loop from the PLP into communities and back to the leadership. His priorities include good growth in every postcode, devolving more power to communities, and putting the cost of living at the front and centre of government to provide “breathing space” for people.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, whose Wigan constituency neighbours Burnham’s Makerfield seat, told BBC Radio 4 that Labour under Burnham will be “faster and bolder” and “wear our hearts on our sleeves more”. She backed his plans for a “Number 10 in the North”, saying it is about shifting the centre of gravity so all parts of the country are seen and heard. Nandy, who stood for the leadership in 2020, said she had not been offered a job in Burnham’s cabinet and believed that was right.
Burnham opened his hustings remarks by paying tribute to Ann Widdecombe, who was killed last week, saying Labour’s thoughts are with her family and urging politicians to give police “the resources and space they need” to investigate her death. He also praised Starmer for delivering the Hillsborough law, noting the prime minister kept his promise to the families of the 1989 disaster. The outgoing prime minister is spending his final week in office attending Bastille Day events in Paris and taking his last Prime Minister’s Questions, just over two years since Labour’s landslide election victory.
