Andy Burnham has twice failed to grab the Labour crown. This time, the party might just hand him the keys to No. 10 Downing Street. With Keir Starmer stepping down and senior figures including ex–health secretary Wes Streeting behind him, the newly elected MP for Makerfield has confirmed he'll run for the leadership—his third attempt after losses to Ed Miliband in 2010 and Jeremy Corbyn in 2015. At this point, the big question is whether anyone will oppose him, with Sky News suggesting somebody will do so if only to avoid the appearance of a "coronation."
Either way, Burnham appears to be a cinch for the job.
- The 56-year-old is a Liverpool native who joined Labour at 14 and later studied English at Cambridge before moving from trade journalism into Westminster as a researcher and adviser, per the BBC. First elected to parliament in 2001, he served in Gordon Brown's cabinet, though he later made his name as Manchester mayor, earning the nickname "King of the North." He clashed with Boris Johnson's government, particularly over what he viewed as the "unfair" way COVID restrictions were implemented in his city.
- The New York Times describes him as a "fluent communicator known for his bonhomie and charisma," adding that, as mayor, he "cultivated an image of optimism, activism and the type of authentic plain speaking characteristic of northern England."
- The Hill says he's on Labour's "soft left," meaning further left than Starmer. "His political priorities vary from improving vocational education and offering better jobs for young people, bringing an 'end to trickle-down economics,' and decentralizing government power in London to allow local government to take more direct control of utilities and transportation."
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