Andy Burnham is on the verge of being crowned Britain’s next prime minister after Labour MPs rushed to demonstrate loyalty to their ‘King of the North’.
Some 322 of the party’s MPs – nearly 80 per cent of Labour’s seats in the House of Commons – have nominated Mr Burnham to replace Keir Starmer, it was announced tonight.
It means Mr Burnham, dubbed by some as his party’s ‘messiah’, is almost guaranteed enter Downing Street on 20 July – despite questions about his mandate to lead the country as he’s not faced a public vote or revealed much of his policy platform.
The Makerfield MP is on course for a ‘coronation’ that bypasses a full Labour leadership contest.
He needs just one more nomination to ensure no other contender can reach the required 81 supporters needed to be a candidate and to force a vote of Labour’s wider party membership.
But convention dictates that the outgoing Labour leader – in this case Sir Keir – does not nominate a candidate, meaning in reality there are no longer enough undeclared MPs to back an alternative to Mr Burnham.
There are also no other Labour MPs who have publicly stated they are considering a leadership bid after former defence minister Al Carns – who was Mr Burnham’s last potential rival – threw in the towel on Wednesday night.
The lack of Labour contenders willing to take on Mr Burnham – after he swooped down to Westminster after winning last month’s Makerfield by-election – has raised concerns about a lack of mandate for the incoming PM.
He has so far been coy about his policy platform, has not yet spoken in the Commons since returning to Parliament, and exited a speech last week without taking questions from the media.
Mr Burnham has ruled out calling a snap general election when he enters Downing Street, despite having previously demanded the Tories go to the polls when they switched leaders while in office.
He is also set to become PM after MPs have already gone on their six-week summer break, meaning he will not face any questions in the Commons on his agenda until September.
Andy Burnham is on the verge of being crowned Britain’s next prime minister after Labour MPs rushed to demonstrate loyalty to their ‘King of the North’
Some 322 of the party’s MPs – nearly 80 per cent of Labour’s seats in the House of Commons – have nominated Mr Burnham to replace Keir Starmer
Among those who pledged their backing to Mr Burnham after nominations opened on Thursday morning were current Deputy PM David Lammy, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, according to a list of published by Labour.
The rush by Labour MPs to show their loyalty to Mr Burnham comes as many of them jostle for top jobs in his incoming administration.
Starmer ally Steve Reed was one of only four Cabinet members who did not nominate Mr Burnham on Thursday, along with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, both of whom have been spoken of as potential chancellors, and party chairwoman Anna Turley.
But this does not necessarily mean they do not support Mr Burnham, as nominations must be made in person or through a limited number of proxy votes.
In a post on social media, Mr Burnham said he was ‘deeply grateful to the 322 Labour MPs who have put their trust in me and nominated me for Leader of the Labour Party’.
He added: ‘Their support comes from across the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) and reflects a shared belief that Britain needs a new approach to politics.
‘That is the circuit breaker I am offering: power out of Westminster, an economy rewired for ordinary people, and good growth in every postcode.
‘I want to empower MPs to bring the experiences of their constituents into the heart of government, and harness the full breadth of our Labour movement, drawing on all its traditions and beliefs in pursuit of a common purpose.
‘I want to thank every colleague who has nominated me for their commitment to that vision.’
Mr Burnham also received a boost when the Unite trade union, which is affiliated to Labour, gave him a ‘conditional nomination’ to be Britain’s next PM – although he was warned he had ‘one shot’ to improve his party’s fortunes.
Following a one-to-one meeting with Mr Burnham, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham announced her union would back him to be PM ‘conditional upon delivery’.
Ms Graham, who had been a fierce critic of Sir Keir’s leadership, said: ‘Labour now needs to deliver. This moment feels like the ‘last chance saloon’.
‘If warm words are not followed up by action, workers and communities prepared to listen now – will walk away.
‘Everyday people are hurting. They are on their knees. The working class of Britain have paid the price for crisis after crisis, Labour now need to clearly show whose side they are on.
‘Britain needs a vision, a clear step-change in industrial and political direction. A ‘real Labour’ direction that must lead to well-paid, secure jobs and a society where everyone gets a decent piece of the pie.
‘Labour will get one shot – they now need to take it.’
After going into nominate himself, the former mayor of Greater Manchester joked that it was ‘third time lucky’ after his botched leadership bids in the past
Barry Gardiner boasted that he was ‘first through the door’ at the Parliamentary Labour Party office this morning
That was contested by David Pinto-Duschinsky, who insisted he was the first to nominate Mr Burnham
Some MPs felt they had to take to social media to explain why they were yet to back Mr Burnham
Burnham backer Luke Charters said it was ‘lovely to see so many MPs queuing up’
Some MPs posted images of their nomination paper, including Rosena Allin-Khan
Mr Burnham had earlier admitted it is ‘all starting to feel very real’ as his Labour leadership ‘coronation’ got under way.
The party’s MPs had rushed to show off their loyalty to the incoming PM when leadership nominations officially opened.
Barry Gardiner boasted that he was ‘first through the door’ at the Parliamentary Labour Party office this morning, but that was contested by David Pinto-Duschinsky, who insisted he was the first.
Luke Charters said it was ‘lovely to see so many MPs queuing up’, while others felt the need to explain on social media why they were not able to complete their duties immediately.
After going in to nominate himself, Mr Burnham joked that it was ‘third time lucky’ after his botched leadership bids in the past.
Nominations opened on Thursday morning after Mr Carns confirmed he would not stand to replace Sir Keir.
Mr Burnham’s close ally Louise Haigh has claimed a plan for his first 100 days in No10 has been in development for a long time.
But there is still nervousness about a lack of clarity of the former Greater Manchester mayor’s policy platform.
He last night sent an email to Labour’s 403 MPs vowing to have a more collegiate approach and wrote an article in The Times calling for defence cash to boost British industry.
But Mr Burnham has not fleshed out any tax or spending plans beyond a commitment to stick to the Labour manifesto and increase devolution.
Ministers and MPs have been frantically jockeying for jobs in the new administration, with Mr Miliband hoping to be made Chancellor despite alarm in some quarters over his ‘Soviet’ views.
Mr Lammy, Ms Cooper and Attorney General Lord Hermer were all out and about on Thursday as the so-called ‘beauty parade’ for Cabinet jobs under Mr Burnham continued.
Intriguingly, New Labour stalwart David Miliband – the brother of Ed – was also due to give a speech on Thursday evening, having been tipped for a shock comeback to Government.
Sam Rushworth MP admitted he had not wanted a leadership contest, but was now getting behind Mr Burnham
Prospective Labour leadership candidates need the backing of 81 MPs to put themselves forward to replace Sir Keir, who resigned last month after Mr Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election.
In the absence of any other contenders before nominations close on July 15, Mr Burnham will be formally declared Labour leader at a special conference on July 17 and is expected to then become prime minister on July 20.
Former armed forces minister Mr Carns told Sky News last night: ‘I’d hoped a leadership contest would give us the opportunity for a proper debate.
‘But months of internal Labour politics isn’t what the country needs right now. We’ve got to get on with the job.
‘Andy Burnham’s earned this and he’s got my full backing.’
Allies of Mr Burnham have been briefing that Mr Carns has wrecked his chances of a ministerial job, with claims he only had three backers – including himself.
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