Andy Burnham has moved closer to becoming the next Labour leader and prime minister after securing overwhelming support from party MPs in the race to replace Sir Keir Starmer.
Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor, has received nominations from 322 of Labour’s 402 MPs and remains the only declared candidate in the leadership contest, reports BBC.
He is now just one nomination short of the 323 required to make it mathematically impossible for any rival to enter the race. Some MPs said they were unable to vote on Thursday but would back Burnham once Parliament resumes.
If no other candidate enters the contest, as widely expected, Burnham will be declared Labour leader next week and take office as prime minister on 20 July.
The move would mark a dramatic rise for Burnham, who returned to Parliament only weeks ago after winning a by-election in Makerfield.
In a statement, Burnham said he was “deeply grateful” to Labour MPs who had nominated him and said the support reflected a cross-party belief within Labour that Britain needed a “new approach to politics”.
“That is the circuit breaker I am offering: power out of Westminster, an economy rewired for ordinary people, and good growth in every postcode,” he said.
Burnham’s by-election victory, combined with Labour’s heavy losses in May’s local elections, intensified pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to step aside and allow a leadership change.
Starmer resigned as Labour leader on the same day Burnham was sworn in as an MP, saying he had listened to the answer to whether he was “best placed to lead us into the next general election”.
Candidates have until Wednesday next week to secure the backing of 81 Labour MPs to enter the leadership contest.
Even after reaching the 323-nomination threshold, Burnham must also secure support from at least three of Labour’s 31 affiliated socialist societies and trade unions. However, this is expected to be a formality.
Once those requirements are met, Burnham would become Labour leader and move into Downing Street without a summer leadership vote involving party members and affiliated trade union supporters.
Several dozen Labour MPs had already publicly confirmed their support for Burnham.
Burnham himself said he hoped it would be “third time lucky”, referring to his unsuccessful leadership bids in 2010 and 2015.
