Andy Burnham has made a clear move towards the next prime minister, with 322 out of 403 Labour MPs voting in his favour. This marks Burnham’s second nomination in the race to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as Leader, making him three short of the 323 needed to make it impossible for any other candidate to get a majority.
Some MPs, unable to vote, have already said that they will support him when they return to the UK Parliament. Next week Burnham will be formally named as Labour leader if there is no obstruction to the way.Burnham will be formally declared Labour leader next week if there is no obstruction to the way, and he could be swept into No 10 Downing Street on July 20 as Prime Minister.
This is his political revival to a staggering extent since his by-election win in Makerfield just weeks ago. A public statement from Burnham said he was “very grateful” to his colleagues, saying his platform was “a much needed circuit breaker” in a “country that needs power that is moved out of Westminster, the economy needs a rewiring, and growth needs to be consistent across all postcodes.
The Fast Track to the Top Job
Burnham’s unopposed bid became clear when former defense minister Al Carns announced he would not seek re-election. If he maintains a lead, then no other candidate will have the required 81 parliamentary nominations to start a contest. After disappointing runs in 2010 and 2015, Burnham, who cracked a jibe that this will be “hopefully third time lucky,” will skip a long summer vote and will only need a few basic endorsements from at least three affiliated socialist societies or trade unions.
However, Labour sources have been calling on the former Greater Manchester mayor to put forward a more comprehensive policy plan. But, Burnham has now left Westminster and must quickly mend his relationship with the large number of newer MPs. He’ll be the only to take part in an official parliamentary hustings when it will be a day for questions about his agenda, as things stand. At the same time, Cabinet Secretary Antonia Romeo is conducting “access talks” with civil servants ahead of his new premiership.
When Burnham was sworn in as an MP on the same day that Sir Keir Starmer resigned following the shocking results in local elections, he was fully backed by the former Labour leader. Starmer was confident Burnham would be a very capable prime minister, adding he had known and worked with Burnham for a long time.
In a recent speech at the Royal Albert Hall to present the Silver Clef music awards, Burnham revealed his funnier side. He joked about the Clacton by-election being called by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, as he handed the Legend Award to the band James. Major parties boycotted the Clacton race, and Burnham had the good grace to joke that serial satirical candidate Count Binface was now “carrying the hopes of the nation.
