Andy Burnham will officially be the next Prime Minister, with 349 Labour MPs backing his leadership bid. It is now impossible for any other candidate to challenge him, after the new MP for Makerfield received an extra 27 nominations on Monday.
Overwhelming Support from Parliamentary Party
After he received 322 nominations last week, another candidate would have required 81 endorsements to stake their claim to the Labour leadership. Almost 80% of the parliamentary party had already nominated the former Greater Manchester Mayor, but these extra endorsements took him over the line.
One such backer today is Communities Secretary Steve Reed, seen by many in the party as a key ally of outgoing leader Sir Keir Starmer, and the only member of the cabinet to not nominate Mr Burnham during last week's stage of the process.
Key Figures Back Burnham
Sir Keir himself cannot take part in the nominations, and neither can Shabana Mahmood and Anna Turley, due to their positions as the chairs of the national executive committee and party respectively. Other nominations today included Sir Chris Bryant, Mike Tapp, Jess Phillips, and Richard Burgon.
Transition Timeline and Priorities
Now, Andy Burnham is expected to formally take over the Labour leadership at a special party conference on Friday, before becoming Prime Minister three days later, on Monday, July 20. He took part in an online hustings with MPs today, with sources saying it was used to set out the priorities for the country.
Mr Burnham's main focuses are thought to be devolving power to communities, improving growth across the UK, and tackling the cost of living, and he is also said to have paid tribute to Sir Keir for delivering on the Hillsborough law, which returns to Parliament on Tuesday.
Cabinet Considerations and Cultural Change
He was also expected to make a pledge to 'lead from the front on changing the culture within Labour'. He will now be thinking about who he wants in his cabinet, and is thought to be considering potential candidates from across the entire party.
It is also believed that Mr Burnham began the hustings with a tribute to former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe after her death last week. He previously tweeted that she had been the victim of an "appalling act of violence", and added that the police "must be given the resources and space they need so justice can be done as quickly as possible".
