Andy Burnham secures Labour support to become UK prime minister
Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, has secured the backing of about 349 Labour MPs — more than 85 percent of the parliamentary party — putting him on course to become Britain’s next prime minister. With that level of support, no rival can reach the 20 percent threshold needed to force a contest, so his leadership bid effectively cannot be challenged. He is expected to take office as soon as the following week.
Burnham succeeds Keir Starmer, who resigned after sustained internal criticism over a lack of clear direction and a wave of member defections tied to the government’s response to Israel’s campaign in Gaza. A minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown before his years running Greater Manchester, Burnham returned to Parliament as MP for Makerfield in June and has campaigned on shifting power out of London.
He has apologized for Labour’s handling of Gaza and pledged to press Israel harder — signaling both a change in tone from Starmer and the pressure he will face from a party that ousted its own leader over the issue.