Andy Burnham has taken over as Labour leader and will officially become Prime Minister on Monday. He was nominated to replace Sir Keir Starmer by 379 of Labour’s 403 MPs, making him the only candidate for the leadership. The former mayor of Manchester declared his intention to stand shortly after Sir Keir announced his resignation in an emotional Downing Street speech on June 22.
Labour Leadership Process
Nominations for a new Labour leader opened on July 9. Potential candidates had to collect the backing of at least 81 MPs and three nominations from affiliated bodies, such as trade unions, before July 16. Mr Burnham was the only person to confirm he would run and received 379 MP nominations and support from all of the Labour affiliated trade unions and socialist societies. Wes Streeting was due to be his main challenger, but the former health secretary later declared he would not run and would be supporting Mr Burnham. He is expected to be offered a prominent role in the next cabinet.
The Timeline
Mr Burnham was named the new Labour leader on Friday, July 17 and made a speech where he set out his vision for the country. On Monday morning he will travel to Buckingham Palace to meet the King, where he will be invited to form a government. Sir Keir is expected to give his final leaving speech on the steps of Downing Street before Mr Burnham takes over and arrives at Number 10 in the afternoon. Traditionally, outgoing Prime Ministers are given 24 to 72 hours to move out of Downing Street to make way for their replacement in a rapid transition of power. However, Mr Burnham will become leader days after Parliament goes into its summer recess when MPs traditionally go to live in their constituencies. The ex-mayor has also insisted he plans to spend some of his working week in Manchester, so Sir Keir and his family may be given extra time to vacate the No 10 flat they have lived in since the July 2024 general election.
The Transition of Power
Sir Keir and Mr Burnham met for the first time since the Makerfield by-election at the end of June to thrash out a transition of power. The PM reportedly agreed to the former Mayor of Manchester having talks with the civil service to ensure a smooth process. Mr Burnham's team had suggested they would have liked a longer changeover of power in September, but they have insisted he will hit the ground running when he enters Downing Street and will set up a Number 10 in the North. This will result in a “very powerful reorganisation of government”, deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell insisted.
In his Labour leadership speech, Mr Burnham said “I have a plan” to give people “hope back” and set a political direction that is “distinctively Labour”. “If we want an economy and a country that works for all people and places, which to me should always be at the very core of Labourism, then it requires a new path to the one we’ve been on for the last 40 years,” he said. “The government I lead will confidently lay that path out starting next week, and that is why this change today is the most significant change moment in our politics for 40 years. It will take us to a country where life is more affordable, and all people and places are lifted from where they are now.”
