Andy Burnham frontrunner as Starmer quits, Labour readies swift leadership race

London,UPDATED: Jun 23, 2026 14:30 IST

Andy Burnham, who won a seat in Parliament in a special election last week, was meeting Labour colleagues on Tuesday as he prepared for a leadership contest that could make him Britain’s next prime minister within weeks. Burnham is the clear front-runner to replace Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who announced on Monday that he will step down after two years in office.

Burnham’s position was strengthened after former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, seen as his main rival, backed him on Monday. Under Britain’s parliamentary system, the governing party can change its leader, and therefore the prime minister, without holding a national election. The next general election does not have to be held until 2029.

Nominations for the Labour leadership will open on July 9 and close a week later. If Burnham is the only candidate, he could become prime minister by July 17. If there is a contest, the winner is expected to be in place by the time Parliament returns from its summer break on September 1. Any candidate will need the support of at least 81 Labour lawmakers, or a fifth of the parliamentary party, to enter the race.

A former Cabinet minister, Burnham has served as mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017 and has said he wants to take his model of “Manchesterism” to the national stage. Many in Labour believe his people skills and charisma could help the party reconnect with voters more effectively than Starmer’s managerial style. But his position on several policy areas remains unclear, and some Labour lawmakers want a proper contest so his plans can be debated and tested in public. Burnham is expected to set out some of his economic plans in a speech next week.

Former Armed Forces Minister Al Carns, who resigned this month over what he said was inadequate defence spending, said: “we need to have a clear and concise discussion about what this country wants to be.” He has suggested he might run for the leadership, but told ITV: “I’m not ready to make a decision on this in any way, shape or form.” Some have also suggested that Darren Jones, a senior Cabinet minister and Starmer ally, should enter the race, though he has not commented. Others in the party argue that a contest would only deepen attention on Labour’s internal divisions and prolong political uncertainty. Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds told the BBC: “I think the transition should be swift and orderly.”

Starmer announced his resignation on Monday after spending the weekend considering his future. He said the Labour Party no longer thinks “I am best placed to lead us into the next general election.” He became the sixth prime minister in a decade to stand outside 10 Downing Street and announce he was leaving office, at a time when Britain is marking 10 years since its vote to leave the European Union, a decision that continues to shape the country’s politics and economy.

After weeks of insisting he would fight for his job, Starmer gave in to growing pressure for a new leader to try to improve the government’s fortunes. He had led Labour to a landslide election win in July 2024, but his popularity and the party’s support have fallen sharply since then. He struggled to deliver the economic growth he had promised, improve strained public services and ease the cost of living. His difficulties were worsened by repeated missteps, including appointing Peter Mandelson, described in the report as a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as the UK ambassador to the United States. Labour is also losing liberal voters to the Green Party and facing pressure from Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK, which is consistently ahead in national opinion polls.

For now, Burnham appears to have the strongest path to the Labour leadership, but questions remain over whether he will face a contest and how quickly the party can complete the change at the top after Starmer’s resignation.

With PTI Inputs

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