Labour leadership race begins as Andy Burnham emerges frontrunner to replace Starmer
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Labour leadership race begins as Andy Burnham emerges frontrunner to replace Starmer")
Labour MP and challenger for Leader of the Labour party, Andy Burnham (R), reacts as he leaves from Millbank studios in Westminster, central London, on July 2, 2026, after giving an interview. Photograph: (AFP)
Labour has opened nominations for its leadership contest after Keir Starmer's resignation, with Andy Burnham emerging as the overwhelming favourite.
Nomination opened for selecting the next leader of the Labour Party today, after the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned on June 22, 2026. Labour MPs who want to contest for the leadership role must secure backing from 20 per cent of their colleague which is currently 81. Each MP can submit their nomination by July 16 to the Parliamentary Labour Party office in Parliament. The candidate with the support of 20 per cent or more MPs must secure backing from at least three organisations affiliated with the Labour Party, and two of them must be trade unions
Around 403 MPs have already submitted their nominations, and the former Greater Manchester MP Andy Burnham, also known as “King of the North”, is expected to get most of them in his favour. He was previously ineligible to run because he did not hold a seat in Westminster, but he cleared his final hurdle by winning a crucial by-election for the Makerfield constituency. He was sworn in as MP the same day Starmer resigned.
Starmer became prime minister on July 5, 2024, after a landslide Labour election victory following 14 years of Conservative Party rule. But then the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the ambassador to the United States, who had a relationship with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, had pushed his popularity downwards. Mandelson was sacked, and Starmer also lost back-to-back local elections. The calls for resignation grew louder over domestic policy shifts, and it finally happened as Burnham won the Makerfiel by-election.
Burnham is expected to be the only candidate; other potential contenders have all ruled themselves out. Former Defence Minister Al Carns, who was considering to run, confirmed last Wednesday that he will not challenge Burnham.
“I’d hoped a leadership contest would give us the opportunity for a proper debate,” said Carns in a statement. “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.” If Burnham is the only candidate, then a special conference will be held on July 17 to formally confirm him as the Prime Minister.
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