Burnham could become prime minister on 20 July
It might seem a little strange that Labour is having a leadership contest when pretty much everyone knows who’s going to win it. Nonetheless, that’s the way the system works, and today was the first day in which Labour MPs could officially nominate Andy Burnham as their next leader - and therefore the country’s next prime minister.
This morning, the long-serving MP Barry Gardiner was first through the doors of Labour’s parliamentary office to give his backing to Burnham, sharing a photo of a queue of MPs waiting to follow suit. MPs then started to post their support on social media, with the first official tally due to be published later today.
So far, Burnham is the only candidate standing for the job after his potential rivals ruled themselves out. If he gets the backing of 323 Labour MPs, which could happen fairly soon, it’ll be mathematically impossible for anyone else to get enough support to challenge him and he’ll be confirmed as Labour leader at the end of next week, and become prime minister a few days later.
After the turbulent period of public dissent, tested loyalties and open arguments that led to Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to resign, it seems Labour has rallied round his likely successor.
There are pockets of scepticism in the party, with some MPs unsure how Burnham will grapple with the multitude of challenges he faces, but it’s clear the party has chosen to put on a united front. Unless something extraordinary happens, Burnham’s path to No 10 is all but guaranteed.
The essential: The Labour leadership contest is officially under way with MPs backing the only person so far standing, paving the way for Burnham to become prime minister.
