Burnham clears final hurdle to becoming next UK premier

Andy Burnham will replace Keir Starmer as Britain's next prime minister, after securing the support of enough Labour MPs to prevent a rival challenger.

Burnham received a formal nomination from 322 of 403 members of Parliament on Thursday, technically one short of the number needed to avoid a contest. On Friday, Housing Secretary Steve Reed and Home Office Minister Mike Tapp said on X that they would nominate Burnham on Monday and, in any case, Starmer will follow convention by not nominating any candidate.

That makes it mathematically impossible for any other candidate to secure the backing of 81 MPs needed to challenge Burnham.

The nomination process will remain open until July 17, regardless. Burnham will almost certainly secure enough support from party affiliates and trade unions to be named leader of the governing party, and should formally become prime minister on July 20 after meeting King Charles.

The former Manchester mayor's path to power has been swift and almost entirely unchallenged, with would-be rivals pulling out of the contest and falling in behind him once the level of his parliamentary support became evident.

Senior Cabinet ministers once considered loyal to Starmer rushed to back his successor. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones were among those to nominate Burnham on the day the vote opened.

Burnham said he was "deeply grateful" for the support he's received from party colleagues, adding it "reflects a shared belief that Britain needs a new approach to politics."

"That is the circuit breaker I am offering: power out of Westminster, an economy rewired for ordinary people, and good growth in every postcode," he said in a statement published online. "I want to thank every colleague who has nominated me for their commitment to that vision."

Health Secretary James Murray, who backed Burnham, said on Friday morning that he was "really excited" about the new administration.

MPs are "rallying around Andy and saying that he is the right person to lead the Labour Party and the country into the years ahead," Murray told Sky News. "Compare it to what has happened in the past with all sorts of squabbles when the Conservative Party change leader. The way that we're changing leader is a smooth transition."

A day after Burnham apologized for Labour's initial stance on the war in Gaza, and rebuked Starmer's government for being too slow to call for a ceasefire, Murray conceded that the government made mistakes. "It's right for him to reflect on what's happened in the past and to set out his own position," Murray said of Burnham.

Lisa Nandy, another Burnham backer in the current cabinet, said she expected a Burnham premiership to be "faster and bolder" than Starmer's government.

"We will wear our hearts on our sleeves more," she told the BBC. "People will see us taking the fight to any system that stands in the way of them living better lives and I really think at the moment - at a time when trust in the power of government to change people's lives is very weak - that is an enormously important thing."

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(With assistance from Lucy White and Alex Morales.)

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