Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester Mayor, has confirmed he will seek selection for the Makerfield parliamentary seat, positioning himself for a potential Labour leadership challenge amid growing discontent with Keir Starmer. The move follows calls from nearly 100 Labour MPs for Starmer to step down, with former Health Secretary Wes Streeting backing Burnham's bid, saying he has the 'best chance of winning' the upcoming by-election.
Burnham, 56, announced his intention after former Cabinet Office minister Josh Simons vacated the seat, hailing the mayor as the right person to 'drive the change our country is crying out for'. Burnham told supporters that 'much bigger change is needed at a national level' to make everyday life more affordable.
Born in Liverpool to a BT engineer father and a GP receptionist mother, Burnham grew up in Culcheth, Cheshire. He attended St Lewis Catholic Primary School and St Aelred's Roman Catholic High School. A straight-A student, he was inspired by an English teacher to apply to Cambridge, where he studied at Fitzwilliam College. There he met his wife, Marie-France van Heel, known as Frankie, a marketing executive from the Netherlands.
In the early days of their relationship, Frankie appeared on the television show Blind Date with Burnham's permission. Her date with 'Will from Surrey' ended badly, with Frankie throwing a cushion at him after he called her a 'cold fish'. The couple later married and have three children.
Burnham, an ardent Everton fan, joined the Labour Party at age 14 after watching the BBC drama Boys From The Blackstuff. He has previously run for Labour leader, losing to Ed Miliband in 2010. His father Roy once described him as 'always driven' and 'destined for better things'.
