Andy Burnham all but certain to become UK's next prime minister

Andy Burnham, a Labour member of Parliament, is poised to run unopposed in the party's leadership primary to succeed Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after securing the backing of nearly eight in 10 Labour MPs.

According to the BBC and other outlets, Burnham won the support of 322 of Labour's 403 MPs on the first day of candidate registration Wednesday — equivalent to 79.9 percent of the parliamentary party.

To qualify for the ballot, a candidate must collect signatures from at least 20 percent of Labour MPs, or 81 lawmakers. If 323 or more MPs back a single candidate, no rival can meet the threshold, making a contested primary effectively impossible.

The BBC said some MPs who had not yet signed Burnham's nomination papers indicated they would do so when Parliament reconvenes. No other candidate has declared a run. Al Carns, a former junior defense minister who had been weighing a bid, announced Wednesday night he would not stand.

"I am deeply grateful to the 322 Labour MPs who have trusted me and nominated me as party leader," Burnham wrote on Facebook.

Candidate registration closes July 16. If Burnham's uncontested run is confirmed, he is expected to be formally announced as Labour leader on July 17 without a separate vote, and to take office as prime minister on July 20 after an audience with King Charles III.

"The support of MPs reflects a shared belief that Britain needs a new approach to politics," Burnham said.

He returned to the themes of devolution and regional development that have defined his political identity. "I will take power away from Westminster, reconnect the economy for ordinary people, and deliver quality growth in every part of the country," he said.

Burnham re-entered Parliament through a by-election in mid-June and quickly emerged as the frontrunner to succeed Starmer after the prime minister announced his resignation under pressure from within the party.

Now 56, Burnham served as an MP for 17 years and held several cabinet posts under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, including secretary of state for culture, secretary of state for health, and chief secretary to the Treasury. After Labour moved into opposition, he served as shadow spokesman on health, education and home affairs.

In the 2017 local elections, he won the Greater Manchester mayoral race with 63.4 percent of the vote. He went on to win two more terms, earning recognition for his work on regional economic development and the COVID-19 response — and the nickname "King of the North."

Burnham is broadly classified as a moderate left-winger within the centre-left Labour Party. He has promoted what he calls "business-friendly socialism" as an economic model, and has championed "Manchesterism" — the idea that powers over housing, public infrastructure, transport and education should be devolved to local governments so each region can pursue development suited to its own needs.

Since returning to Parliament last month, Burnham has also proposed establishing a "Northern Prime Minister's Office" in Manchester — a second base of operations intended to strengthen coordination between local and central government.

On foreign and security policy, Burnham is expected to maintain the broad framework set by Starmer. He has pledged to observe fiscal rules, uphold Britain's commitment to NATO and maintain the country's nuclear deterrent.

However, he has sought to differentiate himself from the Starmer government on the handling of the war in Gaza.

"Labour's initial response to Gaza caused enormous hurt," Burnham said. "We got it wrong, and I am sorry."

While condemning Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, he said the British government had been too slow to call for a truce in Gaza. He added that he would consider imposing additional sanctions on individuals involved in violence in Gaza and banning trade in products linked to illegal settlements.

The Starmer government formally recognized Palestine as a state and sanctioned far-right Israeli ministers who had incited settler violence in the West Bank, but it faced persistent criticism from Labour's left wing and progressive voters who said the response was too slow and insufficient.

British media have reported that Labour lost some of its progressive identity under Starmer, driving a portion of its base toward parties such as the Greens — a dynamic they identified as one reason the party's approval rating fell sharply even after its landslide general election victory.