Andy Burnham is moving closer to taking over the leadership of Great Britain after securing overwhelming support from Labour Party MPs to replace Keir Starmer at the head of the party and in the post of prime minister.
Burnham, known in Britain as the “King of the North” because of his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, announced that on the very first day of the nominations process he had received the backing of 322 of Labour’s 403 MPs. That is just one vote short of the 323-vote threshold that would effectively make him the only candidate in the race.
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“Everything is starting to feel very real,” Burnham said in a video released after support from his colleagues was confirmed.
He thanked MPs for their trust, stressing that this broad support shows a belief that Britain needs a new political direction.
The deadline for submitting nominations for the Labour Party leadership closes next Thursday. If Burnham secures one more nomination, no rival will be able to gather the 81 signatures needed to enter the party’s internal contest.
Some Labour MPs who were unable to vote on the first day have announced that they will support Burnham as soon as Parliament returns at the start of next week.
According to the party’s timetable, Burnham is expected to be officially confirmed as Labour leader next Friday, while on July 20 he is expected to take office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
His path to the leadership became significantly easier after former Defence Secretary Al Carnes announced that he would not enter the race for the party leadership.
Meanwhile, Keir Starmer resigned last month after the Labour Party’s disappointing results in the May local elections, a development that increased pressure within the party for a change in political direction and leadership.
