Andy Burnham

"Andrew Burnham" redirects here. For the British priest, see Andrew Burnham (priest).

The Right Honourable Andy Burnham MP
Official portrait, 2026
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 July 2026
Monarch	Charles III
First Secretary	Louise Haigh
Preceded by	Keir Starmer
Leader of the Labour Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 17 July 2026
Deputy	Lucy Powell
Preceded by	Keir Starmer
Mayor of Greater Manchester
In office 8 May 2017 – 19 June 2026
Deputy	Richard Leese Paul Dennett
Preceded by	Tony Lloyd (interim)
Succeeded by	Paul Dennett (acting)
Ministerial offices Secretary of State for Health In office 5 June 2009 – 11 May 2010 Prime Minister Gordon Brown Preceded by Alan Johnson Succeeded by Andrew Lansley Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport In office 24 January 2008 – 5 June 2009 Prime Minister Gordon Brown Preceded by James Purnell Succeeded by Ben Bradshaw Chief Secretary to the Treasury In office 28 June 2007 – 24 January 2008 Prime Minister Gordon Brown Chancellor Alistair Darling Preceded by Stephen Timms Succeeded by Yvette Cooper Minister of State for Health In office 5 May 2006 – 28 June 2007 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by Jane Kennedy Succeeded by Ben Bradshaw Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs In office 9 May 2005 – 5 May 2006 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by Caroline Flint Succeeded by Joan Ryan
Shadow Cabinet posts Shadow Home Secretary In office 13 September 2015 – 6 October 2016 Leader Jeremy Corbyn Preceded by Yvette Cooper Succeeded by Diane Abbott Shadow Secretary of State for Health In office 7 October 2011 – 13 September 2015 Leader Ed Miliband Harriet Harman (acting) Preceded by John Healey Succeeded by Heidi Alexander In office 11 May 2010 – 8 October 2010 Leader Harriet Harman (acting) Ed Miliband Preceded by Andrew Lansley Succeeded by John Healey Shadow Secretary of State for Education In office 8 October 2010 – 7 October 2011 Leader Ed Miliband Preceded by Ed Balls Succeeded by Stephen Twigg
Member of Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 June 2026
Preceded by	Josh Simons
Constituency	Makerfield
Majority	9,231 (20.3%)
In office 7 June 2001 – 3 May 2017
Preceded by	Lawrence Cunliffe
Succeeded by	Jo Platt
Constituency	Leigh
Personal details
Born	Andrew Murray Burnham (1970-01-07) 7 January 1970 Aintree, Lancashire, England
Party	Labour Co-op
Spouse	Marie-France van Heel ​ ​ (m. 2000)​
Children	3
Education	Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge (MA)
Signature
Website	andyburnham.org.uk

Andrew Murray Burnham (born 7 January 1970) is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party since July 2026. A member of Labour and the Co-operative Party, he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Makerfield since June 2026, and was Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 to 2026. He was MP for Leigh from 2001 to 2017, and served as a minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Burnham identifies as a socialist and is associated with Labour's "soft left" faction. His political ideology has been called "Manchesterism".

Burnham grew up in Culcheth, between Liverpool and Manchester in Northern England. He attended St Aelred's Catholic High School in Newton-le-Willows and read English at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He joined the Labour Party aged 15. In his early career, Burnham was a researcher for Tessa Jowell and special adviser to Culture Secretary Chris Smith. He was first elected to the House of Commons in 2001, winning the Greater Manchester constituency of Leigh. He held several ministerial posts under prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and then as Culture Secretary, in which he launched the Hillsborough Independent Panel. In 2009 he was promoted to Health Secretary, in which he responded to the swine flu pandemic and launched an independent inquiry into the Stafford Hospital scandal.

After the Labour Party's defeat at the 2010 election, Burnham served in the shadow cabinets of Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn in several positions from 2010 to 2016, firstly Shadow Education Secretary, primarily Shadow Health Secretary and lastly Shadow Home Secretary. He ran for Labour's leadership in 2010 and 2015, coming fourth and second. Selected as the Labour candidate for the new Greater Manchester Mayoralty, he won the mayoral election in 2017 and stood down as an MP. As mayor, Burnham reorganised Manchester's tram and bus systems as the Bee Network and was nicknamed "King of the North" for campaigning for more furlough funding for Northern communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was re-elected in 2021 and 2024.

Following Labour's return to power in 2024, Burnham maintained strong approval ratings in Greater Manchester, which contrasted with a rapid decline in the popularity of the 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, the first Labour Co-op MP to hold the post.

Early life and education

Andrew Murray Burnham was born on 7 January 1970 in Aintree, Lancashire, a suburb of Liverpool. His father, Kenneth Roy Burnham, was a telephone engineer, and his mother, Eileen Mary Burnham, was a GP receptionist. 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. He joined the Labour Party when he was 15.

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, which was later converted into a Master of Arts degree.

Burnham described himself as "Catholic by upbringing" but "not particularly religious". He said: "Catholic social teaching underpins my politics. We did have to read the catechism at school but it is powerful and strong and right."

Early career

After university, Burnham moved to London. From 1991 to 1994 he was a journalist for a private company, Baltic Publishing, assigned to their trade magazine Tank Container World (later Bulk Distributor), a magazine covering tanker and intermodal transportation. From 1994 until the 1997 general election he was a researcher for Tessa Jowell. He joined the Transport and General Workers' Union in 1995. Following the 1997 election, he was a parliamentary officer for the NHS Confederation from August to December 1997, before taking up the post as an administrator with the Football Task Force for a year. In 1998, he became a special adviser to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Chris Smith, a position he held until he was elected to the House of Commons in the 2001 general election.

Member of parliament (2001–2017)

Following the retirement of Lawrence Cunliffe, Burnham successfully applied to be the parliamentary candidate for Leigh in Greater Manchester, then a Labour safe seat. At the 2001 election he was elected with a majority of 16,362, and gave his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 4 July 2001. Following his election to Parliament, Burnham was a member of the Health Select Committee from 2001 until 2003, when he was appointed Parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the Home Secretary David Blunkett. Following Blunkett's first resignation in 2004, he became PPS to the education secretary Ruth Kelly.

In government (2005–2010)

Official portrait as Health Secretary, 2009

Blair government (2001–2008)

Following the 2005 election, Burnham was promoted to serve in Tony Blair's government as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, with responsibility for implementing the Identity Cards Act 2006. In the government reshuffle of 5 May 2006, he was moved from the Home Office and promoted to Minister of State for Delivery and Reform at the Department of Health. In Gordon Brown's first cabinet, announced on 28 June 2007, Burnham was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury, a position he held until 2008. During his time at the Treasury, he helped write the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.

Brown cabinet (2008–2010)

In a re-shuffle in January 2008, Burnham was promoted to the position of Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, replacing James Purnell. In June 2008, he apologised to the director of pressure group Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, after she threatened to sue him for libel for smearing her reputation in an article Burnham had written for the Progress magazine.

In late 2008, Burnham announced government plans to tighten controls on internet content in order to "even up" what he described as an imbalance with TV regulations. The announcement was followed by a speech to the music industry's lobbying group, UK Music, in which he announced "a time that calls for partnership between Government and the music business as a whole: one with rewards for both of us; one with rewards for society as a whole. (...) My job – Government's job – is to preserve the value in the system."

In April 2009, after being heckled at the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, Burnham used the next day's cabinet meeting in Downing Street to ask Gordon Brown if he could raise the issue of Hillsborough in Parliament, and Brown agreed. The eventual result was the second Hillsborough inquiry. In 2014, when Burnham spoke at the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, he was cheered and applauded by the crowd.

Burnham as Health Secretary, speaking at an event during the Labour Party Conference in 2009

In June 2009, Burnham was again promoted, becoming Secretary of State for Health. He held the post until the Labour government resigned following the 2010 general election. In July 2009, a month after he became health secretary, Burnham launched an independent inquiry chaired by the QC Robert Francis into unusually high mortality rates at Stafford Hospital. The inquiry found systematic failures at the hospital, and was critical of care provided by the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. A wider public inquiry, also led by Robert Francis, was launched in 2010 by his successor as health secretary, Andrew Lansley. It found serious failings at the hospital but concluded it would be "misleading" to link those failings to a particular number of deaths.

After leaving office, reports claimed that Burnham and his predecessor as health secretary, Alan Johnson, had rejected 81 requests for an inquiry sitting in public to examine the high rate of deaths at Stafford Hospital. Burnham was also criticised for having not visited the hospital or personally met with affected families. According to The Daily Telegraph, after initial concerns were raised about links between mortality rates and standards of care in 2005, there were up to 2,800 more deaths than expected across 14 NHS trusts highlighted as having unusually high death rates. These figures for deaths were later discredited. A report, the Keogh Review, following an investigation into the 14 NHS trusts by Bruce Keogh, described the use of such statistical measures as "clinically meaningless and academically reckless".

As health secretary, Burnham proposed the creation of a National Care Service, which would introduce a publicly funded system of social care free at the point of use along the same lines of the National Health Service. In July 2009, the Department of Health released its green paper Shaping the Future of Care Together, which proposed a National Care Service "on par with the NHS". This was followed by a public consultation in September called the "Big Care Debate", which was promoted by Brown as a "crucial national debate". The consultation found a public desire for social care reform and explored different ways to introduce the NCS. The government decided to introduce the NCS gradually and in different stages, with the first stage beginning with the Personal Care at Home Act 2010, which was passed in April 2010.

Burnham formally launched the NCS a month earlier, giving all elderly and disabled people free social care. The second stage was planned to begin from 2014 and would extend free social care to people who were in residential care for more than two years. A third and final stage would fully introduce the NCS, giving all adults free social care after 2015. Following Labour's defeat in the 2010 general election, the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition of David Cameron and Nick Clegg scrapped the NCS and the Personal Care at Home Act 2010 was later repealed.

In opposition (2010–2017)

First leadership campaign (2010)

In May 2010, Burnham became Shadow Secretary of State for Health. After Brown's resignation as leader of the Labour Party, Burnham declared his intention to stand in the subsequent leadership contest. He launched his leadership campaign in his Leigh constituency on 26 May. Burnham stood on his philosophy of "aspirational socialism", aligning himself with Intern Aware's campaign to end unpaid internships. He made policy commitments including re-creating the National Care Service, which he had previously introduced as health secretary before its abolition by the Coalition, and replacing inheritance tax with a land value tax. Burnham finished fourth, eliminated on the second ballot with 10.4% of the vote. The leadership contest was won by Ed Miliband.

Miliband shadow cabinet (2010–2015)

Burnham speaking at the NHS Confederation annual conference in 2014

In October 2010, Burnham was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Education and election co-ordinator for the Labour Party. As shadow education secretary, Burnham opposed the coalition government's plans for "free schools". He argued for moving the education system back towards a comprehensive system. A year later, he was appointed to the role of Shadow Secretary of State for Health, which he held until 2015. In July 2013 The Daily Telegraph reported that Burnham's staff had edited his Wikipedia page to remove criticisms of his handling of the Stafford Hospital scandal. Burnham's office claimed they had removed false statements that had been drawn to their attention.

Second leadership campaign (2015)

Main article: Andy Burnham 2015 Labour Party leadership campaign

Burnham's 2015 campaign logo

On 13 May 2015, following Labour's defeat in the general election to Cameron's Conservatives, Burnham announced that he would stand to replace Miliband in the 2015 leadership election. He stressed the need to unite the party and country and "rediscover the beating heart of Labour". Burnham was initially considered the frontrunner in the race to succeed Miliband. The emergence of Jeremy Corbyn as the candidate representing the left-wing faction of the party, in June 2015, and the consequent growth in support for Corbyn's campaign saw Burnham's lead diminish to the point that Corbyn overtook him – this was first reflected in a YouGov poll published by The Times on 21 July.

Burnham with Jeremy Corbyn at the 2016 Labour Party Conference

In his official manifesto, Burnham pledged to offer "a balanced plan for a strong economy and sound public finances, providing a genuine alternative to George Osborne's punishing austerity". His platform involved re-balancing the tax system, by restoring the 50p income tax rate that had been cut in the 2012 budget. He also signalled that he would not introduce the 'mansion tax' that was included in Labour's 2015 election manifesto, calling the proposal "the politics of envy". His other policies included increasing the minimum wage and scrapping the youth rate, to create a "true living wage for all ages" and abolishing zero-hour contracts and unpaid internships. He also announced that he would address the house price and rent crisis by giving councils greater freedom and increased borrowing powers to build more houses, regulate the private rented sector and introduce a land value tax on commercial properties.

In August 2015, Burnham announced that he would commit Labour to "a policy of progressive re-nationalisation" of the railway system. There was some speculation in the media that the announcement was an attempt by the Burnham campaign to align itself further to the left of the party and win back voters it had lost to Corbyn's campaign, as nationalisation had formed a key part of Corbyn's economic policy. He continued to voice his opposition to the TTIP free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States, arguing that it would undermine the National Health Service, as it would "open the floodgates" to private healthcare providers. He was also in favour of building a third runway at Heathrow Airport. In September 2015, Burnham came second to Corbyn in the election, with 19% of the vote in the first round, compared to 59% for Corbyn.

Corbyn shadow cabinet (2015–2017)

Burnham giving his final Shadow Home Secretary speech at the party conference in 2016

In September 2015, Burnham accepted an appointment as shadow home secretary in the first Corbyn shadow cabinet and remained in the role after the 2016 reshuffle. Burnham opposed the Prevent counter-terrorism strategy; appearing in 2016 alongside the anti-Prevent organisation MEND, Burnham said: "The Prevent duty to report extremist behaviour is today's equivalent of internment in Northern Ireland."

On 27 April 2016, the day after the Hillsborough inquest verdict that found the 96 Hillsborough deaths had occurred as a result of unlawful killing, Burnham made a speech to the House of Commons calling for those responsible to be held to account. Condemning South Yorkshire Police, which had instigated a cover-up in the aftermath of the tragedy, he described the force as being "rotten to the core" while suggesting that the cover-up had been "advanced in the committee rooms of this House and in the press rooms of 10 Downing Street". The eleven-minute statement drew applause from MPs, a response that is generally against convention at Westminster.

On 25 April 2017, as his final act in Parliament, he delivered an adjournment debate that lasted over an hour on the infected blood scandal. Burnham used the debate to present a raft of evidence stating "this scandal amounts to a criminal cover-up on an industrial scale" and that "these are criminal acts". He said that if the Government did not set up an Investigation into the scandal that he would refer his evidence to the police. In July 2017, the then Prime Minister Theresa May announced an independent public inquiry into the scandal, after successive governments since the 1980s had refused to do so. The final report was published on 20 May 2024, concluding that the scandal could have been largely avoided, patients were knowingly exposed to "unacceptable risks", and that doctors, the NHS and the government tried to cover up what happened by "hiding the truth". The then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologised for the failures over the scandal, calling it "a decades-long moral failure."

Mayor of Greater Manchester (2017–2026)

Candidacy and election

Burnham campaigning for mayor in 2016

On 5 May 2016, a spokesperson for Burnham confirmed that he had been approached by party officials in Greater Manchester, asking him to consider resigning from Corbyn's shadow cabinet in order to run in the upcoming mayoral election in 2017. On 18 May 2016, he confirmed that he was standing for mayorship. Burnham was selected as the Labour candidate in August 2016. In September 2016, Burnham said that he would resign as Shadow Home Secretary once a replacement had been found, in order to concentrate on his mayoral bid. He was succeeded by Diane Abbott in October. Burnham said, if elected as Greater Manchester's mayor, he would resign his seat as the member of parliament for Leigh. In the event, the 2017 general election was declared two weeks before the mayoral election, and Burnham did not stand as a candidate for parliament.

Burnham was elected to the new role of Mayor of Greater Manchester on 5 May 2017. He received 63% of the vote, winning majorities in all ten of Greater Manchester's boroughs. In his victory speech, he said: "This is the dawn of a new era, not just for this city region but for politics in our country. It has been too London-centric for too long. The old political and party structures haven't delivered for all people and for all places. ... Greater Manchester is going to take control. We are going to change politics and make it work better for people."

In the election of 6 May 2021, Burnham was re-elected as mayor, with 67% of the vote on a turnout of 34.7%. In the 2024 mayoral election, Burnham was elected for a third term with 63.4% of the vote, on a turnout of 32.5%. This was the first Greater Manchester mayoral election to use the first-past-the-post voting system, with Burnham winning in every ward but one.

On Burnham stepping down as mayor, the local Manchester Evening News (MEN) newspaper gave him positive ratings for economic development and action on homelessness, although it felt he had not been as successful with police management. Its polling reported that he had a 65% approval rating. Jennifer Williams, who covered Burnham for the MEN and Financial Times, felt that Burnham had joined a longstanding "economic project dating back to the 1980s" to boost Manchester's economy and national standing, but had "injected a zeal into defining the city...to the masses" that increased its profile nationally while managing a "byzantine system" of different local authorities and bus operators, and was "loved by his workforce". She felt his career had faced more difficulties with bridging a divide between "Greater Manchester's resurgent city centre and its struggling post-industrial towns" and a tendency to "respond emotionally" to issues like homelessness "and leave the detail for later".

Homelessness and housing

Burnham (right) visiting construction of Mayfield Park with Bev Craig and Michael Gove in 2022

The issue of homelessness in Greater Manchester was a major focus of Burnham's mayoral campaign. He pledged to donate 15% of his mayoral salary to charities tackling homelessness if elected. After his election he outlined his plan to launch a "homelessness fund", with money going to homeless charities and mental health and rehabilitation services. He pledged to end rough sleeping in Greater Manchester by 2020, but in November 2019 he admitted he would miss his target.

As mayor, Burnham continued longstanding local policies of supporting construction, especially of housing and high-rise development; Jacob Reid of Bloomberg News felt that this had succeeded in keeping Manchester's city centre "booming again" after "decades of decline". Burnham opposed adding targets for affordable housing into private construction projects, arguing that it "doesn't work" and deters construction.

Public transport

Main article: Bee Network

Bee Network bus in 2023

In 2020, Burnham signed off on a new £10 yearly charge for pensioners who wished to continue to use their TFGM travel passes on the region's trains and trams. The charge was intended to help fund a London-style bus system. Pensioners resident in London boroughs get free travel on all public transport in London from the age of 60, while Burnham kept the Manchester system linked to the much later state pension age.

Burnham (left) with then Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf, 2023

Burnham pledged to bring Manchester's bus network back into public ownership by 2025. The plans were legally challenged by bus operators Stagecoach Group and Rotala, but in March 2022 the mayor and authority won the case at the High Court. Media analysts commented that the ruling could pave the way for other city regions in England to regulate bus services that had been privatised since the 1980s. Capped fares of £2 for adult single fares were introduced in September 2022. The integrated transport Bee Network was established in Greater Manchester in 2023.

COVID-19 pandemic

In March 2020, Burnham called for clearer advice on slowing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, citing his previous experience as health secretary during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. He welcomed the additional measures implemented across Greater Manchester and Lancashire by Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak in July during the pandemic, in the knowledge that (at the time) some areas across North West England had lower infection rates than the rest of the country.

On 15 October 2020, Burnham, along with other North West leaders, backed away from government talks to place Greater Manchester in tier 3 – the most restrictive level – of a new three-tier categorisation. He cited the grants system for businesses and 80% furlough scheme for employees as insufficient, saying they would push people into poverty and destitution which would outweigh the impact of the virus if mitigated correctly. Many of the concerns such as the impact on businesses and employees were shared by local Conservative MPs in Greater Manchester and surrounding areas. For his campaigning to secure more furlough funding, he was dubbed the "King of the North" by the media. He did not secure as much extra money as he had wanted, being forced to lower his request for £90 million to £65 million.

Investigations into child sexual exploitation

Shortly after first being elected as mayor in 2017, Burnham initiated a review of historical child sexual abuse allegations in Manchester and Rochdale, later expanding the scope of the investigation to Oldham. Part one of the review (focusing on Manchester) reported in 2020, part two (focusing on Oldham) reported in 2022, part three (focusing on Rochdale) reported in 2023 and part four (led by HMICFRS and covering the whole of Greater Manchester) reported in 2025.

In January 2025, Burnham backed calls for a national public inquiry with limited scope into group-based child sexual exploitation and the power to compel people to give evidence. This came a day after the House of Commons voted against a wrecking amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill calling for an inquiry. The amendment, proposed by the Conservative Party, had been subject to a whip which prevented Labour MPs from supporting it.

Greater Manchester Baccalaureate

Main article: Greater Manchester Baccalaureate

Upon his third re-election in 2024, Burnham expressed his wish to "give everyone growing up [in Manchester] an equal alternative to the university route" through the creation of a baccalaureate in collaboration with local and prospective businesses, in an attempt to provide certainty that young people in Greater Manchester have the skills needed by businesses in the area. The scheme, nicknamed the MBacc, aims to be fully operational by 2030.

National profile and resignation

Burnham (left) in a meeting with Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, July 2024

Burnham has been touted by many commentators as a potential successor to Labour Party leader and incumbent Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whom he supported during the 2020 leadership election. Following his landslide re-election in 2021, he emerged as the bookmakers' favourite to become the next Labour leader. Asked about his ambitions, Burnham said his role as mayor was his priority, but made himself available in case "they [Labour] needed me one day in the future". In September 2023, Burnham was ranked twelfth on the New Statesman's Left Power List, described as a "key dissenter" and a "crucial voice" in the party, as well as a potential future party leader.

Starmer went on to win the 2024 general election, returning Labour to government. During the Sky News 2024 general election night broadcast, Burnham served as a guest analyst alongside former Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson. While Starmer's honeymoon period was brief, Burnham maintained high approval in Greater Manchester and, by August 2025, polls identified Burnham as the most popular senior Labour figure. In September 2025, the foundation of the Burnham-backed Mainstream was seen as raising the prospect of a possible leadership challenge. Two polls released during the 2025 Labour Party Conference separately found that 62% of Labour members would support Burnham over Starmer, and that Burnham would be the first choice among prospective Labour leaders, with 43% of the preferences, well above Wes Streeting's 9%.

On 24 January, Burnham applied to stand as Labour's candidate in the 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election, but was blocked in an 8–1 vote by the NEC on 25 January 2026, with Starmer voting against what had been framed as a route to a potential challenge from Burnham to his leadership. Meanwhile, concern existed among Labour figures that Burnham's candidacy would lead to a by-election for the position of mayor, which would be costly and politically risky for the party: MP Graham Stringer expressed his reluctance to let Reform UK "have a go" at winning the mayoralty. The by-election was ultimately won by the Green candidate Hannah Spencer. Burnham had previously beaten Spencer in the 2024 mayoral election by a margin of 375,000 votes.

Burnham (right) with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner during a primary school visit, April 2026

The Labour Party's poor performance in the 2026 local elections led to a crisis around Starmer's leadership, during which Burnham was widely speculated to succeed Starmer as prime minister and Labour leader. On 11 May, Angela Rayner said that the NEC blocking Burnham's return to parliament was a mistake. Burnham travelled to London on 12 May to meet MPs. On 13 May, Pippa Crerar on ITV's Peston reported that allies of Burnham said that they had found him a seat, and speculated about its identity.

His candidacy is popular with the soft left of the party. He is considered that faction's preferred candidate along with Rayner. Some members of the Tribune group are also supportive. Labour MPs who supported Burnham publicly include Miatta Fahnbulleh, Rachael Maskell, Clive Lewis, Paula Barker, Richard Burgon, Connor Naismith and Sarah Owen. Burnham has been described by The Guardian as "the only major politician in the country who enjoys positive favourability ratings [in opinion polls]".

Following Burnham's by-election victory in Makerfield and subsequent return to parliament in June 2026, Burnham resigned as Mayor of Greater Manchester on 19 June 2026, since MPs are not allowed to hold the office of a mayor with police and crime commissioner powers. The resulting mayoral by-election was set for 30 July 2026, with the winner due to serve until May 2028. Paul Dennett, the mayor of Salford and Burnham's deputy mayor, is expected to serve as acting mayor until a successor is elected.

Return to parliament (2026)

Makerfield by-election

Main article: 2026 Makerfield by-election

A "Vote Andy For Us" campaign poster

On 14 May 2026, Josh Simons, the MP for Makerfield, announced his resignation. He said that he wanted to trigger a by-election in which Burnham could stand, and be eligible to challenge Starmer for the party leadership and premiership if he won. On 19 May 2026, Burnham became Labour's candidate for Makerfield, after no other potential candidate made the shortlist. The by-election was described as one of the most consequential in recent British history.

The Manchester Evening News reported that Burnham would frame his campaign around trust in politics and "economic renewal", alongside more devolution of local powers. He named house building as one of his priorities for the area, alongside tackling anti-social behaviour by building "youth zones" in the area. He also pledged support for the area's coalfield community. In an interview with ITV News, he denied that he would campaign on a platform of rejoining the European Union, despite his support for the proposal "in the long term"; he also stated that the time had come for Labour to "take on" Reform, and would not be asking other parties to stand down for him.

The campaign's slogan was "Andy — For Us", with a stylised cartoon image of Burnham by Mancunian artist Stanley Chow featured on Labour's campaign material. The Manchester band Oasis gave Burnham permission to use their song "Some Might Say" in the campaign. Burnham's use of social media was widely noted as a strength of his campaign, with reports that he had been resharing memes and fan account content supporting his candidacy, particularly referencing his daily running routine.

Burnham's victory returned him to the House of Commons for the first time since 2017 and made him eligible to stand in any Labour leadership contest. He won 54.8% of the vote, increasing Labour's majority in Makerfield to 9,231 votes, compared with Josh Simons' 5,399 vote majority over Reform UK at the 2024 general election. Burnham won more votes than all other parties combined, with the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green candidates all losing their deposits. Turnout was 58.8%, up from 52.5% in the seat for the 2024 general election, the highest for a parliamentary by-election since Brecon and Radnorshire in 2019, with the third highest rise on a general election since 1945.

In his victory speech, Burnham said Labour had a "final chance to change" and described the result as a possible turning point in British politics. He called for a "Makerfield test" at the heart of national politics, under which policies would be judged by whether they worked for the many regional communities who felt they were consistently overlooked and neglected by Westminster. He also said he would prioritise local needs over party point-scoring, focus on practical problem-solving, seek to heal divisions after the campaign, and support greater powers for the North.

Starmer congratulated Burnham and said the result showed that the tide was turning on Reform UK, which he said had "probably" reached the peak of its support. He also initially said he would stand in any Labour leadership contest and would not "walk away". The result increased pressure on Starmer within the Labour Party, with some Labour figures calling for an orderly leadership transition. News media reported that over 100 Labour MPs were preparing to call on Starmer to resign, and allies suggested Burnham might have the backing of around 300 out of 403 Labour MPs.

Third leadership campaign (2026)

Main article: 2026 Labour Party leadership election

On 22 June 2026, Starmer announced that he would stand down as prime minister, remaining in office until a new leader was elected. In response to Burnham's subsequent announcement that he would stand in the ensuing leadership election, Wes Streeting endorsed him, a move which led political experts to conclude the election would be a "coronation" more than a formal contest, as Streeting had been considered Burnham's most likely opponent. Burnham was sworn in as an MP later the same day, with BBC News and Sky News covering his entire train journey from Manchester to London. Burnham was already widely seen as Starmer's likely successor; he was the only declared candidate and had received a significant number of endorsements.

Burnham made the proposal to move some of the functions of 10 Downing Street to a new "No. 10 North" during a speech at the People's History Museum in Manchester. Burnham described his plan as being to "oversee the biggest rebalancing of power our country has ever seen". He said that No. 10 North would be the "nerve centre of a rewired Britain". Burnham set out three "clear tasks" for No. 10 North; to increase public ownership of essential utilities such as water, energy and housing, to re-industrialise swathes of the country, and to regenerate towns, prioritising places that had been left behind. Burnham intended to remain living in Manchester if he became Prime Minister, and would spend at least one day a week working from No. 10 North. No. 10 North is planned to be located at the Manchester Digital Campus, currently under construction on a brownfield site off Great Ancoats Street, New Islington. In the meantime, Burnham's team is searching for an interim location which will be announced "in due course". The Guardian newspaper reported that the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Chief Executive, Caroline Simpson, would head No. 10 North as Burnham's Downing Street Deputy Chief of Staff.

Premiership (2026–present)

Main article: Premiership of Andy Burnham

Burnham being received by Charles III at Buckingham Palace to be invited to form a government, in 2026

Burnham giving his first speech as Prime Minister

Burnham secured nominations from 349 MPs for the leadership election. By 13 July, he was the only candidate nominated, and it was mathematically impossible for anyone else to stand (under Labour rules, a leadership candidate must be nominated by 20 per cent of the party's MPs in order to stand). He was therefore elected unopposed on 17 July and was appointed Prime Minister by King Charles III on 20 July. The same day he delivered his first speech as Prime Minister, saying he was “acutely conscious” of being the sixth Prime Minister in ten years, and vowed to bring power ”out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land”. He began announcing his cabinet later that day.

Political views

Burnham has said that he joined the Labour Party at the age of 15. He identifies as a socialist. In his 2010 leadership bid Burnham emphasised his philosophy of "aspirational socialism", which he described as redistributive, collectivist and internationalist. He is a strong opponent of nationalism, which he has described as an "ugly brand of politics". In 2020, Iain Martin of The Times described Burnham as a "former Blairite" and associated with New Labour. In a 2010 interview with Andrew Marr, Burnham said he was proud of his association with New Labour. As mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham rejected the approach taken by New Labour on housing and transport, but remained committed to its "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" approach. Politically, Burnham places himself on the soft left of the Labour Party. He has been described as soft left by a number of media outlets, including the Financial Times, the New Statesman, and LabourList. Upon becoming Labour Party leader in 2026, he described Neil Kinnock as his inspiration.

Manchesterism

Main article: Manchesterism

Burnham (right) with Scottish First Minister John Swinney and Mayor of Liverpool Steve Rotheram, 2024

Burnham has used the term "Manchesterism" for the political philosophy underpinning his policy agenda as mayor of Greater Manchester – not to be confused with the 19th-century pro-free-trade Manchester Liberalism associated with Richard Cobden and John Bright, also known as Manchesterism. Burnham has characterised Manchesterism as "the end of neo-liberalism", "business-friendly socialism" and "a modern and functional response to the high-inequality, low-growth trap that came from the 1980s drive to privatise economic power and overcentralise political power in the Treasury". In a speech to the Centre for Cities, Burnham described it as a perspective that aimed to combine economic development with social benefits, with policies designed to explicitly channel the proceeds of growth towards communities, rejecting trickle-down economics. Examples of such policies he cited included re-establishing public control of buses through the creation of the Bee Network, and the Good Growth Fund, which provided £1 billion for three projects in each of Greater Manchester's boroughs. He stressed that such initiatives were only possible due to devolution, countering historical trends of political centralisation, although he also advocated for increased devolution of fiscal powers.

Burnham has also argued that the cost-of-living crisis of the 2020s has roots in Thatcherism, suggesting that the deregulation and privatisation of the 1980s led to increases in the costs of essential goods, noting the effects of Right to Buy on an unregulated rental sector resulting in increasing state expenditure on Housing Benefit. He contends that such problems were exacerbated by government austerity and Brexit. Manchesterism has also been characterised as embodying collaboration and partnership working between stakeholders, including cooperation between government, business and trade unions, different public services, community groups, and administrations of different political complexions among Greater Manchester's borough councils.

Writing for the Financial Times in May 2026, Stephen Bush argued that the policy offer Burnham was making as a prospective Labour Party leader was to the left of the policy he had actually implemented during his mayoralty, which in turn was to the right of the stance of the Starmer ministry. Bush suggested that this may have been due to the institutional constraints on, and weaknesses of, the metro mayor role. In a January 2026 piece for the London Review of Books, Michael Chessum compared Manchesterism's emphasis on moving away from neoliberalism to the approaches to governance advocated by the socialist parties of Spain and Portugal.

Social

Burnham attending Manchester Pride in 2025

Burnham supported the use of all-women shortlists for parliamentary candidate selections. In an interview in The Daily Telegraph in October 2007, Burnham said: "I think it's better when children are in a home where their parents are married" and "it's not wrong that the tax system should recognise commitment and marriage".

Burnham voted in favour of same-sex marriage in 2013. In 2026, Attitude magazine wrote that he had overall "one of the most consistently pro-LGBTQ+ records in politics."

Burnham was criticised in 2015 for jokingly saying that Labour should have a woman leader "when the time is right", with the New Statesman saying that he had "tripped over his mouth again". He abstained on the government's welfare bill, despite having previously described the legislation as "unsupportable".

In February 2020, Burnham met with the anti-transgender UK organisation LGB Alliance to discuss a letter he had written to the government concerning changes to the Gender Recognition Act 2004. When concerns were raised over it being an anti-transgender organisation, he replied that there "was no mention in the letter of the LGB Alliance" before the meeting, and his representatives replied that he had "made his support for the trans community very clear over the years". In May 2026, Burnham said that people need to "stop arguing" about transgender rights, and have a "live and let live" approach, while simultaneously retracting his prior support for trans people being allowed to use single-sex facilities, instead voicing support for the regulations enacted by the Equality and Human Rights Commission after the court case For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers.

Economics

In his 2015 leadership bid, Burnham pledged to commit Labour to "a policy of progressive renationalisation of the railway system". Following the 2024 General Election, Labour steadily progressed with the previous Conservative government's plan to nationalise the railway system, aiming for completion by 2027. Burnham also favours a universal graduate tax to replace student tuition fees. He has advocated a National Care Service, integrating care services into the National Health Service. In his leadership bid, Burnham's key economic policies included a new levy to fund social care, extending the higher minimum wage to under-25s, and banning zero-hour contracts. Burnham described the mansion tax proposed by Ed Miliband as "the politics of envy", saying he knew it would lose votes when his mother phoned and told him it represented a return to the 1970s.

In December 2016 during his initial mayoral campaign Burnham argued the UK needed to leave the European Single Market to allow greater scope for government intervention in Northern industries.

In May 2026, Burnham vowed to put energy, housing, water and transport under "stronger public control" if he succeeds Keir Starmer as Prime Minister. He has said that Thames Water should be nationalised.

Devolution

Burnham is a strong supporter of devolving power and, in his 2015 leadership campaign, criticised the "Westminster Bubble" – the London-centric focus in British politics and perceived detachment from life outside Westminster. Some opponents and political commentators accused him of being a part of the same bubble he criticises. He views devolution of powers to Greater Manchester (including its elected mayor) as an opportunity for urban regeneration. He also called for a focus on Northern identity. After he was elected as mayor of Greater Manchester, he described the new powers for northern cities as "the dawn of a new era". Burnham feels the government does not invest enough money in the North of England, saying: "Almost five years after the government promised us a northern powerhouse, we learn that public spending in the north has fallen while rising in the south. This has got to stop and it is time that the north came to the front of the queue for public investment".

In June 2026 he announced plans to establish a "Number 10 in the North" if he becomes Prime Minister, saying that Westminster was "broken".

Immigration

In 2016, as Shadow Home Secretary, Burnham opposed migration caps. Burnham also opposed a bill requiring landlords to conduct immigration checks for illegal immigrants.

In 2017 Burnham argued ending freedom of movement must be prioritised over the economic benefits of single market membership during the UK's Brexit negotiations.

It was reported in May 2026 that Burnham supports Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's efforts to limit legal and illegal immigration. The same month, he stood back from past calls to scrap the "no recourse to public funds" rule, which prevents immigrants getting access to benefits or public housing before being granted settled status.

Foreign policy

Iraq War

Burnham voted in favour of British military intervention in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the subsequent Iraq War, a decision he has since described as "traumatising on every level" and his "worst experience" in Parliament. In 2024, Burnham expressed deep regret for the vote. He stated, "If I had my time again, I wouldn't have voted for it". He criticised the "rage rhetoric and haste" that drove the invasion and also highlighted the catastrophic absence of a viable post-war stabilisation plan.

NATO

In 2015, Burnham said that he would resign from the Shadow Cabinet if Labour supported leaving NATO, something which Corbyn had talked about.

China

Burnham has viewed relations with China primarily through the lens of economic development. As Mayor of Greater Manchester, he visited China in 2018, where he said China's high-speed rail and infrastructure made a strong impression. During a meeting with the Chinese consul Tang Rui in April 2026, Burnham supported closer cooperation "in areas such as green development, electric buses, advanced manufacturing and life sciences".

Ukraine

Burnham has supported Ukraine since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine amidst the wider Russo-Ukrainian war, stating, "We must not allow Russia to prevail... It is essential that we continue to support Ukraine in every possible way". As Mayor of Greater Manchester, he practised this stance by establishing the Unbroken Cities Network alongside the mayors of Lviv and Liverpool to support municipal recovery and rehabilitation programs for injured Ukrainians.

Israel

During the 2015 leadership campaign, Burnham pledged that his first overseas trip would be to Israel and became a member of the Labour Friends of Israel. Following the Gaza war in October 2023, Burnham was one of the first high-profile Labour figures to break ranks with Starmer by publicly calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. He cited profound concerns over civilian casualties and the humanitarian blockade while simultaneously condemning the October 7 attacks. He has consistently backed a two-state solution, denounced illegal West Bank settlements, and co-signed a letter in June 2025 demanding the protection of Palestinian statehood, which Starmer's government formally recognised in September 2025. Speaking on 9 July 2026, Burnham apologised for the initial stance which Labour took towards the Gaza War, saying that the UK needed to apply more pressure on the Israeli government, and that the government had been too slow to call for a ceasefire. He also called for accountability to be applied through the international courts.

Iran War

Burnham has been highly critical of direct Western military engagement in the 2026 Iran war. In March 2026, during the early stages of a US-Israeli offensive, he warned that the conflict directly paralleled the strategic failures of the Iraq War. He challenged the simplicity of Western intervention models, arguing that the idea that you can "take out a leader and then the whole of the population there just unites behind that change... is simplistic". He strongly advocated for diplomatic care and caution, urging leaders not to get involved without a thorough, viable plan for the regional aftermath.

Constitutional and electoral reform

Burnham is a supporter of replacing the House of Lords with an elected Senate of the nations and regions and for switching elections to the House of Commons to a form of proportional representation. He has also spoken in favour of the non-proportional alternative vote and advocated reform of the whipping system to make it easier for MPs to vote in their constituency's interests. In a May 2026 interview, as part of his campaign for the 2026 Makerfield by-election, Burnham said that he would require electoral reform "to be in a manifesto and endorsed at a general election", rejecting the idea of introducing proportional representation in the current parliament.

Head North

In 2024, Burnham co-authored Head North: A Rallying Cry for a More Equal Britain with the Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram. The book was described by Benjamin Myers for The Observer as "offering hope to the northern regions when it is most needed, and reminding us that those politicians who refuse to toe the party line are often those who history remembers most favourably." In contrast, it was described by Jonathan Ball in the New Statesman as simplifying the North–South divide in England to "'London elite' vs 'neglected north' caricatures".

Personal life

Burnham unveils a sculpture of himself at Manchester Art Fair 2025.

Burnham married Dutch-born Marie-France van Heel in October 2000, the two having been in a relationship since their university days. The couple have a son, Jimmy and two daughters, Rosie and Anne-Marie. The family reside in Golborne, Greater Manchester.

Burnham was brought up Catholic. In the 2015 leadership contest, he praised Pope Francis but urged him to promote a progressive stance on gay rights. In a newspaper interview during the contest, he said that he had been repeatedly at odds with the Catholic Church while he was an MP, and that this had strained personal relationships.

Burnham has stated that he primarily defines his identity as British rather than English, which he has attributed to his Irish heritage. He has said that he sees himself as British first, a north-westerner second, a Liverpudlian third, and English fourth. He is a fan of indie music.

Burnham has two brothers, both teachers. Nick is the principal of Cardinal Newman College, a Catholic Sixth Form College in Preston, and John is headteacher of Ormskirk School. Burnham's father has Alzheimer's disease.

Burnham is a supporter of rugby league. He was the honorary chairman of Leigh Centurions for a short time and is now an honorary vice-president. He was a talented junior cricketer (playing for Lancashire CCC Juniors) and a keen footballer, and competed at both sports for his college. He has played for Labour's "Demon Eyes F.C." football team and is a lifelong fan of Premier League football club Everton. In July 2003, Burnham played for Conference club Leigh RMI in a pre-season friendly against Everton. He came on as an 88th minute substitute for Neil Robinson in the 1–1 draw at Hilton Park. Burnham was president of the Rugby Football League from July 2018 until the summer of 2019. He has run the London and Boston marathons and the Great Manchester Run 10K.

Burnham attracted press criticism in 2015 for claiming £17,000 a year from the taxpayer to rent a London flat, despite owning another within walking distance of the House of Commons. A spokesman for Burnham said that renting out the original flat was necessary to "cover his costs", as parliamentary rule changes meant he was no longer able to claim for mortgage interest expenses. He was also criticised for refusing to be interviewed by The Sun when it emerged he had given an interview to the newspaper during his first run for the Labour leadership, and been photographed in the back of a cab for The Sun.

In March 2023, Burnham was ordered to pay £1,984 and given six penalty points after admitting to driving at 78 mph (126 km/h) on a motorway where there was a temporarily reduced 40 mph (64 km/h) speed limit.

In media

Burnham was portrayed by Matthew McNulty in Anne (2022), an ITV miniseries about the Hillsborough disaster.

In the inaugural season of Saturday Night Live UK, Burnham was portrayed by Paddy Young. On Dead Ringers, Burnham is voiced by impressionist Jon Culshaw.

See also

• List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
• List of current heads of state and government
• List of heads of the executive by approval rating

External links

• Andy Burnham on X
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Profile on OpenSanctions, an open database of sanctions and persons of interest
• Profile at Public Accountability Initiatives LittleSis website
• Articles they've authored listed at Muck Rack

• Appearances on C-SPAN