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Andy Burnham in line to become British PM after securing party support

From Al Jazeera · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Andy Burnham is poised to become Britain's next prime minister, securing support from over 85 percent of the Labour Party's parliamentary members.
  • His bid is unchallenged as he has surpassed the required threshold for nominations, with a vote expected as early as next week.
  • Burnham, a former mayor of Greater Manchester, aims to succeed Keir Starmer, who resigned amid party criticism and poor polling, particularly concerning the Gaza conflict.

Andy Burnham is on the verge of becoming Britain's next prime minister, having garnered the support of more than 85 percent of the ruling Labour Party's parliamentary members. With 349 MPs backing his bid, Burnham's path to leadership is clear, as no other Labour MP can challenge him without securing 20 percent of the party's backing, a feat now deemed impossible.

The former mayor of Greater Manchester launched his campaign to return to Westminster after Labour suffered significant losses in local elections and faced declining poll numbers. His predecessor, Keir Starmer, resigned last month following widespread criticism from within the party. Starmer was blamed for several scandals and for failing to present a clear national vision, despite leading Labour to a landslide victory two years prior.

He faces a tricky task. Labour’s support has haemorrhaged. Under Jeremy Corbyn it received millions more votes than under Starmer in 2024, and since then it has lost further support to the Greens. To reach out to those constituencies will require left-wing policies, on poverty, immigration, the environment and Palestine.

— Gareth DaleAn academic from Brunel University commenting on the challenges ahead for Andy Burnham.

A significant factor contributing to Starmer's downfall was the party's stance on the Gaza conflict, which led to tens of thousands of Labour members leaving. Critics accused Starmer and his cabinet of complicity in the war. Burnham has already addressed this anger, apologizing for the party's previous response and vowing to apply more pressure on Israel.

Burnham has outlined some of his policy intentions, including a commitment to devolve more autonomy and power to regions outside London. This move aims to counter accusations that successive governments have neglected areas beyond the affluent southeast of England. However, academic Gareth Dale notes that Burnham faces a challenging task in revitalizing Labour's support, which has shifted towards other parties, requiring robust left-wing policies on poverty, immigration, the environment, and Palestine.

didn’t get it right

— Andy BurnhamApologizing for the Labour Party's stance on the Gaza conflict.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Al Jazeera. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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