Burnham promises hope as Labour leader before becoming UK prime minister

Andy Burnham vowed on Friday to restore hope to people in Britain as he formally became leader of the ruling Labour Party and prepared to become the next UK prime minister.

Burnham, 56, told a special party conference that people and places had waited too long for politics to let them hope again. He promised to work to improve living standards across every region of the United Kingdom and said he was acting for the whole country.

He takes over from Keir Starmer, who resigned last month after political turmoil, scandal and domestic policy problems. Labour still has a large majority in parliament after the 2024 general election, so Burnham, as leader of the largest party, can become prime minister without a new national election.

Burnham is expected to enter Downing Street on Monday after meeting King Charles III. He will be the UK's seventh prime minister in a decade.

Burnham had returned to parliament only four weeks earlier after nine years away from the House of Commons. Labour MPs view him as their best chance of limiting the rise of Nigel Farage's anti-immigrant Reform UK party, which the source says is tipped in polls to win the next general election, expected in 2029.

His main proposal is to devolve more power to cities and regions, including by creating a Number 10 North office. He is described as coming from Labour's soft left and supports more public control of services such as water and a policy of reindustrialisation. He told delegates that a country and economy that work for all people and places would require a new path from the one followed over the past 40 years.

Burnham has also pledged to increase public housing construction to address homelessness and to put more resources into social care. He became leader without a contest after no other candidate stood against him. It was his third attempt to lead Labour, after unsuccessful bids in 2010 and 2015.

He was an MP from 2001 to 2017 and served as a minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Since then, he has built a public image around a relaxed style and social media videos while serving as mayor of Manchester, a role that helped give him the nickname King of the North.

Labour MP Richard Baker said after Burnham's speech that it felt like a fresh start and that there was reason to be hopeful. Labour MPs see Burnham as a stronger communicator than Starmer and hope he will take a more radical approach to public service reform.

Starmer brought Labour back to power in July 2024 after 14 years in opposition, defeating the Conservatives after years of political turmoil following the 2016 Brexit referendum. His time in office was soon marked by policy setbacks and controversies, including his appointment of Peter Mandelson, a former associate of Jeffrey Epstein, as ambassador to Washington. Poor local and regional election results in May added pressure, and Burnham's June 18 by-election win allowed him to stand for the leadership.

Burnham won the backing of 379 of Labour's 403 MPs. No other candidate gathered the 81 nominations needed to challenge him.

He now faces problems including a weak economy, high government borrowing costs, a rising welfare bill and irregular migrant arrivals in small boats, which have helped Reform UK. The source also says unpredictable energy prices linked to the US-Iran war and Donald Trump's presidency in the United States could affect his premiership.

Burnham has promised not to raise the country's main taxes, but he will need to cover a £4.7-billion, or $6.3-billion, gap over four years in the defence investment plan. Politics professor Tony Travers said Burnham and his supporters had so far been vague and that he would need to present clear plans quickly or risk losing momentum.