Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester and a frequent critic of former U.S. President Donald Trump, is set to become the United Kingdom's next prime minister. Burnham emerged as the sole candidate to replace outgoing Labour leader Keir Starmer, securing nominations from 322 of Labour’s 403 Members of Parliament on the first day of the leadership process. This overwhelming support effectively closed the door for any potential rivals.
Burnham, 56, is expected to be formally confirmed as Labour leader on Friday and appointed prime minister by King Charles III on Monday, July 20, following Starmer's resignation. In the UK's parliamentary system, the governing party can replace its leader, and thus the prime minister, without a national election. The next general election is not constitutionally required until 2029.
The rapid ascent to Downing Street has drawn criticism from political opponents and foreign-policy analysts who argue that Burnham has not faced the level of scrutiny typically associated with a competitive party leadership race or a general election campaign.
"Andy Burnham is the least scrutinized incoming U.K. Prime Minister of recent times," Alan Mendoza, executive director of the London-based Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital. "He has faced neither a general election nor an internal party leadership debate in order to establish his positions for wider consumption. He wasn’t even a candidate at the last General Election."
Despite these criticisms, Burnham recently won a parliamentary by-election for Makerfield with 54.8% of the vote, marking his return to the House of Commons after nearly a decade. Before returning to Parliament, he had been directly elected mayor of Greater Manchester three times. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has argued that Burnham should seek a new national mandate, stating, "The public are tired of the game of musical chairs that’s been taking place in 10 Downing Street over the last decade. Mr. Burnham will come in, he will have no mandate. I don’t even know what his policies are."
Burnham, the son of a British Telecom engineer and a receptionist, grew up in northwest England. He joined the Labour Party as a teenager, studied at Cambridge University, and was first elected to Parliament in 2001. He held several senior positions, including culture secretary and health secretary, during the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown governments. Burnham unsuccessfully ran for the Labour leadership in 2010 and again in 2015 before leaving Parliament in 2017 to become mayor of Greater Manchester.
As mayor, Burnham focused on regional control over transportation and public services, notably bringing Greater Manchester’s bus system under public control as part of the Bee Network. He also became a prominent figure supporting victims’ families in their campaign for accountability following the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster.
Burnham has consistently criticized former President Donald Trump, accusing him of contributing to global instability and warning that Britain risks importing American political polarization. In a 2025 interview, he compared Trump's potential return to office to the instability caused by former Prime Minister Liz Truss. Burnham also described some of Trump’s decisions as "out of order." His criticism dates back to Trump's 2016 election, when Burnham described his rhetoric as "deeply troubling" but also urged the left to examine why working-class voters supported Trump. Following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, Burnham wrote that any UK politician who had given Trump "the time of day should be ashamed right now." Despite his criticisms, Burnham has supported maintaining a working relationship with the U.S. while asserting Britain's right to disagree.
Former President Trump, when asked about Burnham, stated he did not know him well and characterized him as "extremely liberal." Trump suggested Burnham would oppose expanded North Sea oil drilling and declared that "the UK is dying."
Burnham is generally viewed as being to the left of Starmer. He advocates for a decentralized approach, emphasizing "people and place before party" and transferring authority from London to the regions. His policy priorities include infrastructure, housing, transportation, regional economic development, vocational education, youth employment, lower energy bills, and cheaper rail travel. Critics like Mendoza suggest Burnham would pursue a "fairly radical left-wing agenda," potentially including wealth taxes, electoral system changes, expanded social housing, and shifts in foreign policy, such as re-evaluating alliances.
Burnham has pledged continuity in Britain's commitments to NATO, its nuclear deterrent, the United States, and Ukraine, while also calling for the rebuilding of military capabilities. He has also been critical of Labour's earlier response to the war in Gaza, advocating for a ceasefire and raising the possibility of sanctions related to Israeli settlements, though he has condemned Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
Burnham would inherit an economy grappling with weak growth, public finance pressures, strained public services, and ongoing cost of living concerns. His premiership would mark the seventh prime minister in just over a decade, reflecting the political turnover since the UK's 2016 vote to leave the European Union.