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Who is the MP who wants to become prime minister?

2026-06-19 10:39:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Who is the MP who wants to become prime minister?

Andy Burnham is no stranger to Labour Party leadership contests.

More than 10 years ago he ran twice, but unsuccessfully, for the high office.

He is now backed by many Labour MPs as the party's best chance of recovery, after months of weakness in the polls and a series of devastating election results in May.

Burnham's victory in the Makerfield by-election saw him defeat a challenge from Reform UK, which came second but more than 9,000 votes behind the Labour Party.

Also, the outgoing mayor of Greater Manchester increased the Labour Party's vote share from 45% in the 2024 general election to almost 55%.

Beyond the numbers, Burnham's victory ensured he overcame a major hurdle to any leadership challenge, as those who want to run must be MPs.

Ahead of election day, Burnham said he would seek to enter any possible leadership contest to challenge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer if he won in Makerfield.

Early life: Everton fan and indie music lover
Born in Liverpool in 1970, Burnham grew up in Culcheth, a quiet village near the Cheshire commuter area, near Warrington.

His father, a BT engineer, and his mother, a GP receptionist, were both ardent supporters of the Labour Party and he developed an early interest in politics.

Burnham has described how he was inspired to join the Labour Party at the age of 14 after being moved by the BBC television drama, Boys from the Blackstuff, about life on welfare in Liverpool.

A lifelong Everton fan, his friends remember Burnham as a competitive and sports-obsessed child who was a fast bowler for the Lancashire school boys' cricket team.

At school, at the local Roman Catholic school, his English teacher recalls how he ran to become the Labour Party candidate in the mock election - and won by a landslide.

Burnham and his two brothers were the first in their family to go to university, while Andy studied English at Cambridge.

In his book, Head North, Burnham wrote that he “struggled to fit in” at university and felt like an “impostor.”
However, the music lover - who is a fan of northern indie bands such as The Smiths and The Stone Roses - said that “his growing interest in Manchester music gave me an identity and an edge.”

From MP to Mayor of Greater Manchester
After graduating, he began working in journalism, working for professional magazines including Tank World and Passenger World Management.

In his early 20s, he got his first break into politics, working as a researcher for the late Tessa Jowell, then MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, who would later become a minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Despite his later disdain for Westminster politics, Burnham quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a special adviser to Culture Secretary Chris Smith before being elected MP for his home town of Leigh, in Greater Manchester, in 2001.

He served initially as a junior minister under Blair, but joined the cabinet as principal secretary to the Treasury and later culture secretary and health secretary.





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