Andy Burnham was confirmed as the new leader of Britain’s ruling Labor Party on Friday.
It means he is now set to replace Keir Starmer as the next prime minister, Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade since the Brexit vote.
Labor enjoys a large majority in Parliament, meaning the party’s leader automatically becomes Prime Minister of the country, without the need for new elections.
There were no challengers to Burnham’s leadership bid – his third attempt overall after failed attempts in 2010 and 2015.
Burnham vows to ‘give hope back’ to people
In an address to fellow Labor Party members after his leadership confirmation, Burnham said he was “ready to lead and build” on the foundation created by Starmer. He claimed that under Starmer UK National Health Service waiting times had been reduced, the railways had been returned to public control and noted Starmer’s work in bringing Britain to the center of global affairs.
The new Labor Party leader vowed to “give hope back” to people and revitalize forgotten parts of the country.
He said Britain “made several wrong turns in the 1980s” when “political power became centralized and economic power became privatized.” Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher pursued free market and deregulation policies in the 1980s that led to a boom in the financial services sector in London but deindustrialization in Northern England.
Regarding the economy, Burnham called for greater public control over things needed to fight inflation.
“If we do not have adequate public control over the price of essential commodities, how can we control inflation, public expenditure and the rest of the economy?” Burnham said.
Burnham wants to be a ‘pro-business’ Labor leader
At the same time, Burnham, a former mayor of Greater Manchester, said he would be “as pro-business a leader of the Labor Party as I was a pro-business mayor of Greater Manchester.”
Burnham cited his achievements as mayor, saying, “We go round the places together, and that’s how we ran in Manchester, and we’ll take it across the country.” During his mayoral tenure, Manchester saw a boom in economic growth and a new integrated public transport model called the B Network.
Burnham spoke about the state of her party as she took the reins.
Burnham said, “We’re not going to defeat the right if we’re going through infighting.” He also said that “he will not suspend or punish Labor members who hold views that differ from mine.” He said that he has not yet decided on the members of his cabinet.
How did Burnham replace Starmer?
Burnham has been groomed to replace Starmer for several weeks.
He returned to Parliament as an MLA following a by-election four weeks ago.
Starmer resigned in June amid declining poll ratings and growing pressure over the appointment of Peter Mandelson, a former associate of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as US ambassador.
Starmer’s government has been tasked with challenges such as inflation, over-extended public services and crises abroad such as Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the US-Israeli war against Iran. US President Donald Trump has also attacked Starmer on issues like energy and immigration.
Starmer will formally submit his resignation to King Charles III on Monday. After that, the king would call on Burnham to form a cabinet.
Edited by: Carl Sexton
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