Andy Burnham: 'King of the North' with eyes on the top job
Summary
Andy Burnham, a three-time mayor of Greater Manchester and former Labour MP, is preparing to run for Parliament again to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for Labour party leadership. He has found a Labour MP willing to step down to allow him to stand in a by-election, but he still needs to be selected by local party members and win in an area where his party faces strong competition.Key Facts
- Andy Burnham was Labour MP for Leigh from 2001 and has been mayor of Greater Manchester, winning three elections there.
- He previously tried twice to become Labour leader but was unsuccessful.
- He is not currently an MP, which is required to stand as Labour leader.
- A Labour MP in Makerfield has agreed to step down to allow Burnham to run in a by-election.
- He still needs selection approval from the local Labour party and must win the by-election.
- The Makerfield seat is competitive; Reform UK came second in the 2024 general election there by over 5,000 votes and has recent strong local election results.
- Burnham plans to run on his record as mayor and vows to regain voter trust and improve the Labour party.
- He has had a long career in politics starting as a researcher and later serving as a cabinet minister under Tony Blair.
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