Key facts
- Andy Burnham will become the UK's 59th Prime Minister on Monday.
- He succeeds Keir Starmer without a general election.
- Burnham previously served as Mayor of Greater Manchester for a decade.
- He returned to Parliament recently after winning a special election.
- Burnham attended Cambridge University and studied English Literature.
Andy Burnham is set to become the United Kingdom's 59th Prime Minister on Monday, succeeding Keir Starmer without a general election. Burnham, 56, returns to Parliament after a decade as Mayor of Greater Manchester, a role he took on after stepping away from a long-planned ascent within the Labour Party in London.
Burnham's path to power is described as a combination of patience and risk-taking. He returned to Parliament just last month after winning a special election. His ascension follows the sudden downfall of Prime Minister Keir Starmer after only two years in office. Burnham, who was not elected to his new role, faces significant expectations and questions about his approach to governing.
Born in Liverpool, Burnham grew up in a close-knit Catholic family. His father was an engineer and his mother a receptionist. He attended Cambridge University, where he studied English Literature, a path he initially doubted was for him as a working-class student. After graduating, he worked as a journalist before entering politics.
Elected to Parliament in 2001, Burnham held several cabinet positions under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, including Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Secretary of Culture, and Secretary of Health. A pivotal experience was his advocacy for the victims' families of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, which led to a new inquest and apology.
Following Labour's loss of power in 2010, Burnham twice ran for the party leadership but was unsuccessful. In 2017, he left Parliament to become Mayor of Greater Manchester. In this role, he developed "Manchesterism," a pragmatic, pro-business form of socialism focused on public and private investment. He was credited with improving the city's public transport and was vocal in criticizing the Conservative government's perceived focus on London during the COVID-19 pandemic.