Andy Burnham was confirmed as the new leader of the UK‘s ruling Labour party on Friday.
It means he is now set to take over from Keir Starmer as the next prime minister, the UK’s seventh in the decade since the Brexit vote.
Labour enjoys a large majority in parliament, meaning the party leader automatically becomes the country’s prime minister, without the need for fresh elections.
There were no challengers to Burnham’s leadership bid — his third in total after attempts in 2010 and 2015 failed.
What did Burnham say after the confirmation?
In an address to fellow Labour Party members after his leadership confirmation, Burnham said he was “ready to lead and build” upon the foundation built by Starmer. He claimed that UK national healthcare service waiting times had been reduced under Starmer, railroads had been put back under public control and noted Starmer’s work in putting the UK at the center of global affairs.
The new Labour Party leader vowed to “give hope back” to people and revitalize forgotten parts of the country.
He said that Britain took a “series of wrong turns in the 1980s” when “political power was centralized and economic power privatized.” Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher pursued free market and deregulatory policies in the 1980s which led to a booming financial services sector in London but deindustralization in northern England.
In regards to the economy, Burnham called for greater public control of essentials to fight inflation.
“If we don’t have sufficient public control over the cost of the essentials, how can we have control over inflation, public spending and the rest of the economy?” Burnham said.
At the same time, Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, said he “will be a pro-leader of the Labour Party, as I was a pro-business mayor of Greater Manchester.”
“We turn places round together, and that is the way we ran in Manchester, and we will take to the whole country,” Burnham, citing his achievements as mayor. During his mayoral tenure, Manchester’s witnessed a spike in economic growth and a new integrated public transport model called the Bee Network.
Burnham spoke about state of his party as he took the reins.
“We won’t beat the right if we are infighting,” Burnham said, while adding that “he won’t suspend or punish Labour members with different views to mine.” He said he hasn’t yet decided on the members of his cabinet.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
How did Burnham replace Starmer?
Burnham has been lined up to succeed Starmer for weeks.
He returned to parliament as a lawmaker following a by-election four weeks ago.
Starmer resigned in June amid mounting pressure over plummeting poll ratings and his appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, a former associate of late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Edited by: Karl Sexton
Don’t let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and hitting the “star” or “preferred” button, so you’ll always see our verified news first.
About The Author
