Andy Burnham confirms Labour leadership bid after Keir Starmer resigns as Prime Minister

Andy Burnham has confirmed he will stand for the Labour leadership after Keir Starmer announced his resignation as Prime Minister on Monday.

Burnham, who returned to Parliament last week after winning the Makerfield by-election, said he would “put myself forward as part of this process” following Starmer’s decision to step down as leader of the Labour Party.

He framed the resignation as “the beginning of a transition” and called for the handover to be “conducted in an orderly and responsible way”.

In a statement, Burnham paid tribute to the outgoing Prime Minister. “Keir has given huge service to our country, and I want to thank him for his leadership and dedication during such a challenging period,” he said.

He added that the country “expects stability, seriousness and a continued focus on the issues that matter most”.

Burnham set out a list of priorities for the period ahead, naming economic growth, the cost of living, public services, housing and opportunities for the next generation. “Political change should never distract from the responsibility to improve people’s lives,” he said.

He described the Labour movement as being “at its strongest when it looks forward with confidence and purpose” and pledged to make the transition “a positive process of renewal for our party and our country”.

Starmer announced his resignation in a televised statement outside Downing Street on Monday morning, confirming he would step down as leader of the Labour Party.

He said he had spoken to King Charles III to inform him of the decision. Starmer said his choice followed conversations with ministers about whether he remained the right person to lead Labour into the next general election. “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question,” he said. “And I accept that answer with good grace.”

Starmer said he would ask the party’s National Executive Committee to set out a timetable, with nominations opening on 9 July and the contest completed by the summer recess.

He said a new leader would be in place before Parliament returns in September, and that he would remain as Prime Minister until the contest concludes.

Burnham won the Makerfield by-election on 18 June with 54.8% of the vote, securing 24,927 votes and a return to the Commons after serving as mayor of Greater Manchester. His victory intensified pressure on Starmer, who had initially vowed to fight any leadership challenge before announcing his departure days later.

Candidates require the support of 20% of Labour MPs to enter the contest. If more than one candidate clears that threshold, a vote will be held among party members and registered supporters.

Starmer’s position had been under sustained pressure for months. Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned in May, and Defence Secretary John Healey quit in June in a dispute over military funding. The next Labour leader will become the United Kingdom’s seventh prime minister in a decade.

Now read: Miliband as Chancellor would be “noose around the neck” of jobs, union warns