Andy Burnham has been effectively confirmed as the successor to Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour party. This development follows the receipt of an additional 27 nominations from Labour MPs, which brings his total support to 349. These latest endorsements, added to the 322 nominations he secured last week, ensure that no other candidate can reach the 81-endorsement threshold required to mount a leadership challenge.
The surge in support on Monday included backing from communities secretary Steve Reed, who is recognized as a key ally of the outgoing leader. With this latest move, Reed became the final member of the cabinet to support Burnham. By established convention, other cabinet members such as Shabana Mahmood and Anna Turley do not nominate candidates due to their roles chairing the party and the national executive committee, respectively. Outgoing leader Keir Starmer also maintains neutrality by convention.
Additional nominations for Burnham on Monday came from a diverse range of figures, including junior ministers Chris Bryant and Mike Tapp, former minister Jess Phillips, and Richard Burgon, who serves as secretary of the left-wing Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs. This follows last week's show of support, where nearly 80% of the parliamentary Labour party formally nominated him.
Despite the lack of a contest, Burnham is still scheduled to participate in an online hustings with Labour MPs later on Monday. He is expected to be formally installed as the leader of the party during a special conference this Friday. Following this, he is set to assume the role of prime minister three days later, on 20 July.
