Right now

he prime minister, Keir Starmer. Burnham was blocked by the party's National Executive Committee from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election, but as confidence in Starmer's leadership fell, Burnham increasingly came to be seen as his likely successor. He secured his return to Parliament by winning the Makerfield by-election in June 2026. By law, winning this seat required him to resign immediately as mayor, causing a mayoral by-election. Four days later, Starmer announced his resignation, leading to a leadership election. After being nominated by over 90% of Labour MPs, Burnham was elected unopposed as Labour leader on 17 July and became Prime Minister on 20 July.

Early life and education

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Andy Burnham
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Andrew Murray Burnham was born on 7 January 1970 in Aintree, Lancashire,[a] a suburb of Liverpool.[1][2][3] His father, Kenneth Roy Burnham, was a telephone engineer, and his mother, Eileen Mary Burnham, was a GP receptionist.[2] He was brought up in Culcheth and educated at St Lewis Catholic Primary School and St Aelred's Roman Catholic High School, in Newton-le-Willows.[4] He joined the Labour Party when he was 15.[5]

Burnham read English at the University of Cambridge, where he was an undergraduate at Fitzwilliam College. He received an upper second-class Bachelor of Arts degree,[4] which was later converted into a Master of Arts degree.[2][6]