Burnham closes in on UK premiership after Labour MPs rally behind him

Andy Burnham is poised to become Britain’s next prime minister after securing overwhelming support from Labour MPs, Al Jazeera reported. The backing leaves potential rivals without enough parliamentary support to challenge him for the Labour leadership, putting him on course to succeed Keir Starmer as early as next week.

Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor and a left-leaning Labour figure, received 27 additional nominations on Monday afternoon, according to Al Jazeera. That brought his total support to 349 Labour MPs, more than 85 percent of the party’s members in Parliament.

Under the party threshold described by Al Jazeera, any Labour MP seeking to challenge Burnham would need support from 20 percent of the parliamentary party. With Burnham already backed by such a large share of MPs, Al Jazeera reported that a rival candidacy can no longer meet that requirement.

Return to Westminster

Burnham was elected MP for Makerfield last month, Al Jazeera reported. The seat marked his return to Westminster after serving as mayor of Greater Manchester and after earlier ministerial roles under former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

According to Al Jazeera, Burnham began his campaign to return to national politics after Labour suffered heavy losses in local elections in May. He also made clear that, if elected to Parliament, he would seek to replace Starmer as party leader.

Starmer announced his resignation last month after sustained criticism from within Labour, Al Jazeera reported. The outgoing prime minister had faced blame over several scandals and over what critics inside the party saw as a failure to set out a clear direction for the country.

Al Jazeera reported that Starmer had won a landslide majority two years ago, but pressure on him grew as Labour continued to perform poorly in opinion polls. The former lawyer’s position weakened further as internal frustration mounted.

Gaza policy and party losses

Labour has also lost tens of thousands of members over the government’s position on Israel’s war in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera. Critics cited by Al Jazeera said Starmer and his cabinet were complicit in the conflict through their stance.

Burnham has tried to address anger inside Labour over Gaza, Al Jazeera reported. Last week, he apologised for the party’s position, saying it “didn’t get it right,” and promised to apply more pressure on Israel.

Burnham has begun outlining parts of his governing agenda, including a pledge to give areas outside London more authority and power, according to Al Jazeera. The report noted that critics have accused both the current and previous governments of neglecting cities beyond southeast England, the UK’s wealthiest region.

Gareth Dale, a Brunel University academic who studies politics, told Al Jazeera that Burnham faces serious political difficulties. “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.”

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.