Andy Burnham in line to become British PM after securing party support
Burnham’s bid cannot be challenged by fellow MPs, as he now has the support of almost the entire parliamentary party. The former mayor of Greater
Burnham’s bid cannot be challenged by fellow MPs, as he now has the support of almost the entire parliamentary party. The former mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, is set to become Britain’s next prime minister as early as next week after securing the backing of more than 85 percent of MPs from the ruling Labour Party. Left-leaning Burnham received a further 27 nominations on Monday afternoon, increasing the total number of MPs backing his bid to become Labour leader and prime minister to 349. Burnham’s bid to succeed Keir Starmer cannot be challenged by any other Labour MPs, as they would need to have the backing of 20 percent of the party, which is now impossible.
Burnham, who served as a minister under former leaders Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, was elected MP for Makerfield last month. He launched his campaign to return to Westminster after Labour suffered heavy losses in local elections in May and confirmed that, if successful, he would seek to replace Starmer. The outgoing PM announced his resignation last month after heavy criticism from members of his own party. He has been blamed for several scandals, as well as failing to articulate a clear vision for the country. Despite winning a landslide majority two years ago, the former lawyer faced mounting pressure to quit as Labour continued to poll poorly.
Tens of thousands of Labour members have left the party over the government’s stance on Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which critics say made Starmer and his cabinet complicit in the conflict. Burnham has already sought to placate anger over Labour’s lacklustre response to Israel’s assault on Gaza. He apologised last week for the party’s stance, saying it “didn’t get it right” and promised to put more pressure on Israel. Burnham has provided details about some of his policies, including pledging to give areas outside London more autonomy and power. Critics have accused the current and previous governments of neglecting cities outside southeast England, the wealthiest region in the UK.
Gareth Dale, an academic from Brunel University focusing on politics, told Al Jazeera that Burnham has many challenges ahead. “He faces a tricky task. Labour’s support has haemorrhaged. Under Jeremy Corbyn it received millions more votes than under Starmer in 2024, and since then it has lost further support to the Greens. To reach out to those constituencies will require left-wing policies — on poverty, immigration, the environment and Palestine.”
The BriefWire