LONDON (AP) 鈥� is on the brink of becoming Britain’s next prime minister after securing the backing on Thursday from 80% of Labour lawmakers in a party leadership contest.
On the day nominations opened in the election to replace Prime Minister , Burnham secured the support of 322 of the 403 Labour members of Parliament, far exceeding the 81 needed to run.
That makes it almost impossible for another legislator to get enough support to challenge him, a prospect that was already unlikely.
Burnham said on social media that he was 鈥渄eeply grateful鈥� for the support of Labour MPs, which 鈥渞eflects a shared belief that Britain needs a new approach to politics.鈥�
Throughout the day, lawmakers trudged up a narrow staircase to a Labour office in the Parliament building to sign nomination papers for Burnham, who has gone from being mayor of Greater Manchester to leader-in-waiting in the space of a few weeks.
鈥淚t’s all starting to feel very real,鈥� Burnham said in a social media video, confirming that he had nominated himself.
Nominations remain open until July 16. Burnham is highly likely to be announced as Labour’s new leader the following day, and become prime minister after a meeting with on July 20.
Britain’s parliamentary democracy allows governing parties to change leaders, and thus prime ministers, without the need for a general election. The next national election does not have to be held until 2029.
Other potential contenders have all ruled themselves out. Former Defense Minister Al Carns, who had been considering a run, confirmed late Wednesday that he will not challenge Burnham.
鈥淚鈥檇 hoped a leadership contest would give us the opportunity for a proper debate,鈥� Carns said in a statement. 鈥淏ut months of internal Labour politics isn鈥檛 what the country needs right now. We鈥檝e got to get on with the job. Andy Burnham鈥檚 earned this and he鈥檚 got my full backing.鈥�
Starmer that he would resign as soon as his center-left party chose a successor. He was elected in a landslide in July 2024, but quit after in office marred by missteps and judgment errors that eroded his standing with his party and the public.
Burnham spent almost a decade running Greater Manchester, in northwest England, before returning to Parliament by last month.
He鈥檚 promising sweeping change, vowing to reverse almost two decades of low growth since the 2008 financial crisis through an approach dubbed 鈥淢anchesterism鈥� 鈥� harnessing private and public money to invest in areas like transport, housing and infrastructure.
But he will face many of the same political and economic challenges as Starmer, including a sluggish economy, and a cost-of-living squeeze.
He also promised continuity in foreign policy, and that the government鈥檚 鈥渃ommitment to NATO and the U.K.鈥檚 nuclear deterrent will remain absolute.鈥� Writing in The Times of London on Thursday, he said Britain will remain a firm ally of the United States and a strong supporter of Ukraine.
But in an implicit criticism of Starmer, Burnham later said Labour 鈥渄idn鈥檛 get it right鈥� at the start of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. In a video message, Burnham condemned the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel by Hamas militants, who killed around 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.
Burnham also said the British government had been 鈥渢oo slow to call for a ceasefire鈥� in the conflict that has left 73,110 Palestinians dead, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government. The ministry is staffed by medical professionals who maintain detailed records viewed as generally reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts.
He said the U.K. would consider 鈥渇urther sanctions, both on those involved in the violence in Gaza, but also looking at measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements.鈥�
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