Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Andy Burnham is likely to beBritain’s next Prime Minister after an overwhelming show of support from Labour lawmakers left him all but certain to replace Keir Starmer, reported Reuters.
Burnham said he had received nominations from 322 out of the 403 Labour Members of Parliament on the first day of nominations on July 9, leaving him one short of ensuring he can be the only candidate. “It’s all starting to feel very real,” Burnham said in a short video clip announcing he had nominated himself.
The nominations for the Labour leadership close next week. Burnham is expected to be formally anointed as Labour leader and will be officially named as Prime Minister on July 20. Once Burnham reaches 323 nominations, no other candidate would be able to secure the backing of the 81 needed to enter the contest to replace Starmer.
Some Labour MPs say they were not able to vote but will back Burnham once they return to parliament next week.Burnham’s path to the leadership was effectively secured on July 8when Al Carns, the former junior defence minister, said he would not stand against him.
Starmer announced his resignation last month after a poor performance in local elections in May prompted growing calls from lawmakers for a change of leadership and direction.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has warned Burnham, that he needs to be properly prepared to govern when he arrives in Downing Street in a little more than a week.
Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Reeves said that “it is important that when Andy walks through that door he has a worked-through plan, because governing is hard in Britain, and lots of challenges and shocks will come his way”.
She said Burnham and his team coming into Downing Street must be “really clear about what they want to achieve”, and that “he needs to stay laser-focused on those things that have always motivated him, have always driven him”.
