Burnham chosen as Labour leader, to become PM on 20th

2026-07-17

Labour Party elects new leader

Britain's governing Labour Party on the 17th chose MP Andy Burnham as its leader. He will become prime minister on the 20th as the successor to Prime Minister Starmer.

Elected unopposed

Burnham, the former Manchester mayor who stepped forward after Starmer announced his resignation, was the only candidate to declare for the leadership race. After securing the required nominations from party lawmakers and affiliated groups, he was elected unopposed at a special party conference held on the 17th. He will assume the premiership on the 20th after royal procedures and other formalities.

Task is to rebuild party support

Following Labour's heavy losses in the May local elections, Starmer announced his resignation on June 22. Burnham's return to national politics for the first time in nine years, backed by high approval ratings, led Starmer to conclude that remaining in office would be difficult. Burnham will become prime minister one month after his comeback.

Labour returned to power in 2024 for the first time in 14 years, but its approval ratings have remained weak and it has been trailing the right-wing populist Reform UK. Burnham aims to rebuild the party ahead of the next general election, due by 2029.

Devolution and renationalisation

In a speech in late June, Burnham said he would 'carry out the biggest redistribution of power in British history,' signalling his intention to push devolution further. He has also outlined a plan to create a new organisation in Manchester called 'Number 10 North' and move some prime minister's office functions from London.

He has criticised 1980s Thatcherism and argues that the shift toward privatisation, austerity and deregulation should be reviewed. Building on his record of renationalising bus services in Manchester, he wants to push ahead with reforms to bring services such as energy, housing, water and transport under public control nationwide.

In Britain, where short-lived governments have been common, Burnham would become the seventh prime minister in the past 10 years. Voter frustration over living costs remains deep, and if he cannot restore support, Reform UK could overtake the Labour and Conservative parties in the next general election and raise its chances of taking power for the first time.

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