Andy Burnham is expected to be declared Labour leader next week and to take office as prime minister on 20 July, after 322 Labour MPs nominated him — leaving him one short of it being mathematically impossible for anyone else to challenge him. With Burnham still the only declared candidate, and some MPs saying they backed him but were unable to vote on Thursday, the path to Downing Street appears clear.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, whose Wigan constituency neighbours Burnham's Makerfield seat, told BBC Radio 4 that a leadership contest was unnecessary. "I think there will be two things that will be different under Andy Burnham," she said. "The first is that it will be faster and bolder, and he's willing to think very differently about how we deliver that change. Number 10 in the North has attracted a lot of interest but that really is about shifting the centre of gravity in the country so that all parts of the country are seen and heard and are able to contribute. The second thing that will be different is we will wear our hearts on our sleeves more."
“Andy Burnham is set to become Labour leader next week and prime minister on 20 July after 322 MPs backed him.”
Nandy, who stood for Labour leader in 2020 and lost to Sir Keir Starmer, threw her weight behind the former Greater Manchester mayor — a longstanding friend and ally. She said she had not been told she would continue as culture secretary under Burnham, nor had anyone else in Sir Keir's cabinet. "He [Burnham] has not offered any jobs to anybody and I firmly believe that's the right thing to do."
In her interview, Nandy defended Labour's record over the past two years, including cutting NHS waiting times and opening up opportunities for young people. She said these achievements had come under Sir Keir in very difficult circumstances, but admitted the government's work had not resonated with the public. That, she argued, was why Burnham was now taking over. "If I'm honest, no I don't think that a contest would have been helpful at this moment. I feel very much in my constituency in Wigan, and we heard it in the neighbouring constituency of Makerfield in the recent by-election, people have put up with a lot for a long time. They need things to change, they voted for that change two years ago, they've sent us a clear message that they want that change to be bolder, they want it to be faster."
Burnham has set out his vision for the future of the party in a speech at the People's History Museum in Manchester, with plans to establish a No 10 north in the city. Nandy's backing underscores the broad support Burnham commands among Labour MPs, making his elevation to the leadership all but certain. The question now is whether his promise of a faster, bolder government will be enough to restore the public's faith after two years of stalled progress.