UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stepped down, and the Labour Party is gearing up to pick a new leader who will take the helm as Prime Minister. As of July 13, candidate Andy Burnham has secured support from 349 Labour Members of Parliament, making him the sole contender for the top job—nobody else can even meet the entry requirements anymore.
Under Labour’s leadership election rules, hopefuls had to get nominations from at least 81 Labour MPs (including themselves) between July 9 and 15, plus backing from three affiliated groups (including at least two trade unions) by the evening of July 16, just to be in the race. Burnham has blown past those hurdles.
Labour MP Andy Burnham
Out of 403 Labour MPs in the House of Commons, only 54 haven’t thrown their weight behind Burnham—including Starmer himself and party chair Shabana Mahmood, who can’t nominate anyone. That means even if a dark horse wanted to jump in, they simply don’t have the numbers. Burnham is the only one left standing.
The Labour Party is expected to hold a conference on July 17 and officially name Burnham as the new leader. He’ll then step into Starmer’s shoes as Prime Minister.
Burnham, a former Mayor of Greater Manchester, has long pushed for nationalizing key public services and has been a sharp critic of neoliberal economic policies. Speaking to Labour MPs on the evening of July 13, he promised to build an “inclusive” cabinet in true Labour tradition, one that represents all wings of the party and embodies “contribution, experience, and dedication.”