Andy Burnham Set to Become UK Prime Minister on 20 July

London – Andy Burnham is set to become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 20 July, after securing overwhelming backing from Labour Party MPs in the race to succeed Sir Keir Starmer.

London – Andy Burnham is set to become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 20 July, after securing overwhelming backing from Labour Party MPs in the race to succeed Sir Keir Starmer.

Burnham, who was elected as the Labour MP for Makerfield in last month’s by-election, has effectively secured the Labour leadership after receiving the support of 349 Labour MPs, making it mathematically impossible for any rival candidate to enter the contest.

The Labour Party currently holds 403 seats in the House of Commons. Under the party’s leadership rules, candidates require nominations from one-fifth of Labour MPs to qualify for the leadership election. Burnham initially secured the backing of 322 MPs before increasing that figure to 349.

Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation on 22 June, the same day Burnham took the oath as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons.

Following Labour’s heavy losses in the local elections on 7 May and Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election, pressure had grown within the party for Starmer to step down.

Explaining his decision, Starmer said he had listened to the answer to the question of whether he remained the best person to lead Labour into the next general election.

Although Burnham must still obtain the endorsement of at least three of Labour’s 31 affiliated trade unions and socialist societies to formally become the party’s leader, party insiders expect him to clear that hurdle without difficulty.

Burnham previously ran unsuccessfully for the Labour leadership in 2010 and 2015. Reflecting on those campaigns, he recently joked: “Hopefully, third time will be lucky.”

Policy Priorities

In a speech delivered in Manchester last week, Burnham outlined several priorities for a future government. Among his proposals is the creation of a new Prime Minister’s regional delivery unit aimed at giving local authorities greater control over housing, transport and other public services.

He also pledged to increase public control over the water and energy sectors across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, although he has yet to provide detailed plans on how such reforms would be implemented.

Gaza Remarks

Burnham has also sought to distance himself from Labour’s initial response to the Gaza conflict. In a video posted on X, he apologised for the party’s early stance following Israel’s military operation in Gaza after the Hamas attacks of 7 October, saying Labour “did not get it right” and should do better under his leadership.

Prime Minister Starmer had previously defended Israel’s right to self-defence following the attacks.

National Security and Defence

Writing in The Times, Burnham confirmed that he would retain Jonathan Powell as National Security Adviser. Powell previously served as Chief of Staff to former Prime Minister Tony Blair and played a central role in the Northern Ireland peace process.

Burnham also called for a “sustainable increase” in defence spending while promising greater transparency over military procurement, particularly regarding cost overruns and project delays.

One of Starmer’s final major decisions before leaving office was to announce plans to increase UK defence spending by £15 billion over the next four years, funded by reductions in other areas of government expenditure. The implementation of that programme is expected to fall to Burnham’s incoming administration.