Andy Burnham got 379 of 403 Labour MP nominations. No rival could find the 81 needed to challenge him.
That clears his way to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister. He was confirmed as party leader at a special conference in London and was due to take over after meeting King Charles III on the morning of July 20. Starmer resigned as prime minister on June 22 after months of turmoil, scandals and setbacks. Labour has held a large parliamentary majority since the 2024 election, so the new leader becomes prime minister without a general election.
Burnham, 56, was Mayor of Greater Manchester for three consecutive terms and picked up the nickname “King of the North”. He returned to the Commons as MP for Makerfield only about four weeks ago, after nine years away. The BBC said he will be Britain’s 59th prime minister, and the first since Harold Wilson to put a Northern identity at the center of his politics.
Why Labour MPs turned to him
Labour had been losing ground to the Greens and to Reform UK, which made big gains in local elections earlier this year. Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration party could win the next general election, expected in 2029, according to opinion polls. MPs are betting Burnham gives them the best chance of stopping that. They also hope he connects with the public better than Starmer did and takes a more radical line on repairing public services.
Burnham belongs to Labour’s moderate left and wants the state to play a bigger role in public services. His platform puts the cost of living, economic growth and moving powers from London to the regions first. One idea is an office called “10 Downing Street in the North.” He said: “Making the economy work for citizens across the UK requires a new path, different from the one Britain has followed over the past 40 years.”
In a speech on July 17 he promised to reform social care, build more homes to tackle homelessness, back small businesses and rebuild industry. He also wants more state control over water, transport and energy. The Financial Times reported he may ease limits on North Sea oil and gas exploration to bring down bills. He has not yet said how he will pay for it all while avoiding tax rises on working people, and he has not named a chancellor.
Defence and foreign policy
Burnham has signalled little change from Starmer on foreign policy. He wrote in The Times: “Our relationship with the United States will remain vital as our most important defense and security ally, and Britain’s support for Ukraine will not waver.”
He inherits a £4.7 billion gap over four years in the defence investment plan that Starmer unveiled last month. Burnham has said he will take responsibility for funding it. NATO allies, including the United States, are likely to press Britain to reach the alliance’s target of 3.5 percent of GDP on defence by 2035.
A tougher line on Israel
The most contested part of his early agenda is Israel. Burnham has apologized for Labour’s initial stance on the war in Gaza. He told The Guardian he would add sanctions on individuals and entities and consider a ban on trade in goods from illegal Israeli settlements. “Yes, we have taken some important steps, but let’s be frank: the UK was too slow to call for a ceasefire, and we must now strengthen our approach,” he said.
He stopped short of calling Gaza a genocide, a demand from the party’s left. “There is mounting evidence that war crimes may have been committed,” he said, adding that ruling on that is a matter for international courts.
Reaction was split. The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council said in a joint statement they had passed “grave concerns” to his team directly and warned that some political criticism can become hostility toward Jews and Israelis. Burnham has said his position does not conflict with opposing antisemitism, and he again condemned the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Labour MP Apsana Begum, from the left, doubted he would change course. Pressure is expected from that wing to ban all arms shipments to Israel, which now include spare parts for F-35 jets.
Career
Born in Aintree near Liverpool on January 7, 1970, Burnham grew up in Culcheth, Cheshire. He studied English Literature at Cambridge and worked in journalism before joining Tessa Jowell’s staff as a researcher. He was elected MP for Leigh in 2001 and held the seat until 2017. Under Gordon Brown he served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Culture Secretary and, from 2009 to 2010, Health Secretary.
