Andy Burnham

The Right Honourable Andy Burnham MP
Burnham in 2024
Mayor of Greater Manchester
In office 8 May 2017 – 19 June 2026
Deputy	Richard Leese Paul Dennett
Preceded by	Tony Lloyd (interim)
Succeeded by	Paul Dennett (interim)
Secretary of State for Health
In office 5 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Alan Johnson
Succeeded by	Andrew Lansley
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In office 24 January 2008 – 5 June 2009
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	James Purnell
Succeeded by	Ben Bradshaw
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office 28 June 2007 – 24 January 2008
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Chancellor	Alistair Darling
Preceded by	Stephen Timms
Succeeded by	Yvette Cooper
Shadow Cabinet posts Shadow Home Secretary In office 13 September 2015 – 6 October 2016 Leader Jeremy Corbyn Preceded by Yvette Cooper Succeeded by Diane Abbott Shadow Secretary of State for Health In office 7 October 2011 – 13 September 2015 Leader Ed Miliband Harriet Harman (acting) Preceded by John Healey Succeeded by Heidi Alexander In office 11 May 2010 – 8 October 2010 Leader Harriet Harman (acting) Ed Miliband Preceded by Andrew Lansley Succeeded by John Healey Shadow Secretary of State for Education In office 8 October 2010 – 7 October 2011 Leader Ed Miliband Preceded by Ed Balls Succeeded by Stephen Twigg
Junior ministerial offices Minister of State for Health In office 5 May 2006 – 28 June 2007 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by Jane Kennedy Succeeded by Ben Bradshaw Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs In office 9 May 2005 – 5 May 2006 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by Caroline Flint Succeeded by Joan Ryan
Member of Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 June 2026
Preceded by	Josh Simons
Constituency	Makerfield
Majority	9,231 (20.3%)
In office 7 June 2001 – 3 May 2017
Preceded by	Lawrence Cunliffe
Succeeded by	Jo Platt
Constituency	Leigh
Personal details
Born	Andrew Murray Burnham (1970-01-07) 7 January 1970 Aintree, Lancashire, England
Party	Labour Co-op
Spouse	Marie-France van Heel ​ ​ (m. 2000)​
Children	3
Alma mater	Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge (MA)
Signature

Andrew Murray Burnham (born 7 January 1970) is a British politician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Makerfield since June 2026. A Labour Co-op member, he is currently the sole candidate for the 2026 Labour Party leadership election to succeed Keir Starmer as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party. He previously served as the mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 to 2026 and the MP for Leigh from 2001 to 2017. During his parliamentary career before becoming mayor, he held several cabinet positions, lastly as Secretary of State for Health from 2009 to 2010 under Gordon Brown. Burnham identifies as a socialist and is associated with the soft left faction of the Labour Party.

Born in Aintree, Liverpool, and raised in Culcheth, Burnham was educated at St Aelred's Catholic High School in Newton-le-Willows and studied English at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He joined the Labour Party at the age of 15 and his early career included working as a researcher for Tessa Jowell. From 1998 to 2001, he was a special adviser to Culture Secretary Chris Smith. At the 2001 general election, he was elected as the MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester. Under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, he held several government roles, including parliamentary private secretary; Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department; Minister of State for Health; Chief Secretary to the Treasury; and Culture Secretary, a role in which he launched the second Hillsborough inquiry. In 2009, he was promoted to Health Secretary, a role in which he responded to the swine flu pandemic and launched an independent inquiry into the Stafford Hospital scandal.

Following the 2010 general election, Burnham was a candidate in the Labour leadership election won by Ed Miliband, coming fourth out of five candidates. From 2010 to 2015, he served as Shadow Education Secretary and Shadow Health Secretary under Miliband. Following the 2015 general election, Burnham contested the resulting Labour leadership election, and finished second behind Jeremy Corbyn. From 2015 to 2016, Burnham served as Shadow Home Secretary under Corbyn. After being selected as Labour's candidate for the new Greater Manchester Mayoralty, he stood down as an MP at the 2017 general election, won the 2017 mayoral election, and was re-elected in the 2021 and 2024 elections.

A crisis surrounding Keir Starmer's leadership of the Labour Party led to Burnham becoming seen as a successor, and he returned to Parliament after winning a by-election in June 2026. Four days later Starmer announced his resignation and a schedule for a leadership election. Burnham is seen as the likely successor and is the only declared candidate so far.

Early life and education

Andrew Murray Burnham was born on 7 January 1970 in Aintree, Lancashire, a suburb of Liverpool. His father, Kenneth Roy Burnham, was a telephone engineer and his mother, Eileen Mary Burnham, was a GP receptionist. He was brought up in Culcheth and educated at St Lewis Catholic Primary School and St Aelred's Roman Catholic High School, in Newton-le-Willows. He studied English at the University of Cambridge where he was an undergraduate student at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, upper second class which was later converted into a Master of Arts (MA) degree.

He had described himself as "Catholic by upbringing" but "not particularly religious", adding: "Catholic social teaching underpins my politics. We did have to read the catechism at school but it is powerful and strong and right".

Early career

After university, Burnham moved to London and worked in the trade press. Burnham had joined the Labour Party when he was 15, and from 1994 until the 1997 general election he was a researcher for Tessa Jowell. He joined the Transport and General Workers' Union in 1995. Following the 1997 election, he was a parliamentary officer for the NHS Confederation from August to December 1997, before taking up the post as an administrator with the Football Task Force for a year. In 1998, he became a special adviser to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Chris Smith, a position he remained in until he was elected to the House of Commons in the 2001 general election.

First parliamentary career

Following the retirement of Lawrence Cunliffe, Burnham successfully applied to be the parliamentary candidate for Leigh in Greater Manchester, then a safe Labour seat. At the 2001 election he was elected with a majority of 16,362, and gave his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 4 July 2001. Following his election to Parliament, Burnham was a member of the Health Select Committee from 2001 until 2003, when he was appointed Parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the Home Secretary David Blunkett. Following Blunkett's first resignation in 2004, he became PPS to the education secretary Ruth Kelly.

In government (2005–2010)

Official portrait as Health Secretary, 2009

Following the 2005 election Burnham was promoted to serve in the Government as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, with responsibility for implementing the Identity Cards Act 2006. In the government reshuffle of 5 May 2006, he was moved from the Home Office and promoted to Minister of State for Delivery and Reform at the Department of Health. In Gordon Brown's first cabinet, announced on 28 June 2007, Burnham was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury, a position he held until 2008. During his time at the Treasury, he helped write the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.

Brown cabinet (2008–2010)

In a re-shuffle in January 2008, Burnham was promoted to the position of Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, replacing James Purnell. In June 2008, he apologised to the director of pressure group Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, after she threatened to sue him for libel for smearing her reputation in an article Burnham had written for Progress magazine.

In late 2008, Burnham announced government plans to tighten controls on internet content in order to "even up" what he described as an imbalance with TV regulations. The announcement was followed by a speech to the music industry's lobbying group, UK Music, in which he announced "a time that calls for partnership between Government and the music business as a whole: one with rewards for both of us; one with rewards for society as a whole. (...) My job – Government's job – is to preserve the value in the system."

In April 2009, after being heckled at the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, Burnham used the next day's cabinet meeting in Downing Street to ask Prime Minister Gordon Brown if he could raise the issue of Hillsborough in Parliament, and Brown agreed. The eventual result was the second Hillsborough inquiry. In 2014, when Burnham spoke at the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, he was cheered and applauded by the crowd.

Burnham as Health Secretary, speaking at an event during the Labour Party Conference in 2009

In June 2009, Burnham was again promoted, becoming Secretary of State for Health. He held the post until the Labour government resigned following the 2010 general election. In July 2009, a month after he became health secretary, Burnham launched an independent inquiry chaired by the QC Robert Francis into unusually high mortality rates at Stafford Hospital. The inquiry found systematic failures at the hospital, and was critical of care provided by the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. A wider public inquiry, also led by Robert Francis, was launched in 2010 by his successor as health secretary, Andrew Lansley. It found serious failings at the hospital but concluded it would be "misleading" to link those failings to a particular number of deaths.

After leaving office, reports claimed that Burnham and his predecessor as health secretary, Alan Johnson, had rejected 81 requests for an inquiry sitting in public to examine the high rate of deaths at Stafford Hospital. According to The Daily Telegraph, after initial concerns were raised about links between mortality rates and standards of care in 2005, there were up to 2,800 more deaths than expected across 14 NHS trusts highlighted as having unusually high death rates. However, these figures for deaths were discredited. A report, the Keogh Review, following an investigation into the 14 NHS trusts by Bruce Keogh, described the use of such statistical measures as "clinically meaningless and academically reckless".

As health secretary, Burnham proposed the creation of a National Care Service, which would introduce a publicly funded system of social care free at the point of use along the same lines of the National Health Service. In July 2009, the Department of Health released its green paper Shaping the Future of Care Together, which proposed a National Care Service "on par with the NHS". This was followed by a public consultation in September called the "Big Care Debate", which was promoted by Prime Minister Gordon Brown as a "crucial national debate". The consultation found a public desire for social care reform and explored different ways to introduce the NCS. The government decided to introduce the NCS gradually and in different stages, with the first stage beginning with the Personal Care at Home Act 2010, which was passed in April 2010.

Burnham formally launched the NCS a month earlier, giving all elderly and disabled people free social care. The second stage was planned to begin from 2014 and would extend free social care to people who were in residential care for more than two years. A third and final stage would fully introduce the NCS, giving all adults free social care after 2015. However, following Labour's defeat in the 2010 general election, the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition of David Cameron and Nick Clegg scrapped the NCS and the Personal Care at Home Act 2010 was later repealed.

In opposition (2010–2017)

First leadership campaign (2010)

In May 2010, following the defeat of Gordon Brown's government, Burnham became Shadow Secretary of State for Health. After Brown's resignation as leader of the Labour Party, Burnham declared his intention to stand in the subsequent leadership contest. He launched his leadership campaign in his Leigh constituency on 26 May. Burnham stood on his philosophy of "aspirational socialism", aligning himself with Intern Aware's campaign to end unpaid internships. He made policy commitments including re-creating the National Care Service, which he had previously introduced as health secretary before its abolition by the Coalition, and replacing inheritance tax with a land value tax. Burnham finished fourth, eliminated on the second ballot with 10.4% of the vote. The leadership contest was won by Ed Miliband.

Miliband shadow cabinet (2010–2015)

Burnham speaking at the NHS Confederation annual conference in 2014

In October 2010, Burnham was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Education and election co-ordinator for the Labour Party. As shadow education secretary, Burnham opposed the coalition government's plans for "free schools". He argued for moving the education system back towards a comprehensive system. A year later, he was appointed to the role of Shadow Secretary of State for Health, which he held until 2015. In July 2013 The Daily Telegraph reported that Burnham's staff had edited his Wikipedia page to remove criticisms of his handling of the Stafford Hospital scandal. Burnham's office claimed they had removed false statements that had been drawn to their attention.

Second leadership campaign (2015)

Main article: Andy Burnham 2015 Labour Party leadership campaign

On 13 May 2015, Burnham announced that he would stand to replace Ed Miliband in the 2015 leadership election. He stressed the need to unite the party and country and "rediscover the beating heart of Labour". He attracted press criticism for claiming £17,000 in expenses to rent a London flat, despite owning another within walking distance of the House of Commons. A spokesperson for Burnham said that renting out the original flat was necessary to "cover his costs" as parliamentary rule changes meant he was no longer able to claim for mortgage interest expenses.

Burnham was criticised for jokingly saying that Labour should have a woman leader "when the time is right", with the New Statesman saying that he had "tripped over his mouth again". He also said that he would resign from the Shadow Cabinet if Labour supported leaving NATO, something which Jeremy Corbyn had talked about. Burnham was criticised for refusing to talk to The Sun newspaper when it emerged he had been interviewed by The Sun in his previous run for the Labour leadership, and had been photographed in the back of a cab for the newspaper. Burnham abstained on the government's welfare bill, despite having previously described the legislation as "unsupportable". Burnham came second to Corbyn in the election, with 19% of the vote in the first round, compared to 59% for Corbyn.

Corbyn shadow cabinet (2015–2017)

Burnham giving his final Shadow Home Secretary speech at the party conference in 2016

In September 2015, Burnham accepted an appointment as shadow home secretary in the first Corbyn shadow cabinet and remained in the role after the 2016 reshuffle. Burnham opposed the Prevent counter-terrorism strategy; appearing in 2016 alongside the anti-Prevent organisation MEND, Burnham said: "The Prevent duty to report extremist behaviour is today's equivalent of internment in Northern Ireland."

On 27 April 2016, the day after the Hillsborough inquest verdict that found the 96 Hillsborough deaths had occurred as a result of unlawful killing, Burnham made a speech to the House of Commons calling for those responsible to be held to account. Condemning South Yorkshire Police, which had instigated a cover-up in the aftermath of the tragedy, he described the force as being "rotten to the core" while suggesting that the cover-up had been "advanced in the committee rooms of this House and in the press rooms of 10 Downing Street". The eleven-minute statement drew applause from MPs, a response that is generally against convention at Westminster.

On 25 April 2017, as his final act in Parliament, he delivered an adjournment debate that lasted over an hour on the infected blood scandal. Burnham used the debate to present a raft of evidence stating "this scandal amounts to a criminal cover-up on an industrial scale" and that "these are criminal acts". He said that if the Government did not set up an Investigation into the scandal that he would refer his evidence to the police.

Mayor of Greater Manchester

Candidacy and election

Burnham campaigning for mayor in 2016

On 5 May 2016, a spokesperson for Burnham confirmed that he had been approached by party officials in Greater Manchester, asking him to consider resigning from the Shadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn in order to run in the upcoming mayoral election in 2017. On 18 May 2016, he confirmed that he was standing for mayorship. Burnham was selected as the Labour candidate in August 2016. In September 2016, Burnham said that he would resign as Shadow Home Secretary once a replacement had been found, in order to concentrate on his mayoral bid. He was succeeded by Diane Abbott in October. Burnham said, if elected as Greater Manchester's mayor, he would resign his seat as the member of parliament for Leigh. However, the 2017 general election was declared a fortnight before the mayoral election; Burnham did not stand as a candidate.

Burnham was elected to the new role of mayor of Greater Manchester on 5 May 2017. Upon taking office, he became entitled to the style of Mayor. He received 63% of the vote, winning majorities in all ten of Greater Manchester's boroughs.

In his mayoral victory speech he said that “This is the dawn of a new era, not just for this city region but for politics in our country. It has been too London-centric for too long. the old political and party structures haven’t delivered for all people and for all places. … Greater Manchester is going to take control. We are going to change politics and make it work better for people.

In the election of 6 May 2021, Burnham was re-elected as mayor, with 67% of the vote on a turnout of 34.7%. In the 2024 mayoral election, Burnham was elected for a third term with 63.4% of the vote, on a turnout of 32.5%. This was the first Greater Manchester mayoral election to use the first-past-the-post voting system, with Burnham winning in every ward but one.

Homelessness and housing

The issue of homelessness in Greater Manchester was a major focus of Burnham's mayoral campaign. He pledged to donate 15% of his mayoral salary to charities tackling homelessness if elected. After his election he outlined his plan to launch a "homelessness fund", with money going to homeless charities and mental health and rehabilitation services. He pledged to end rough sleeping in Greater Manchester by 2020, however, in November 2019 he admitted he would miss his target.

Public transport

Main article: Bee Network

In 2020, Burnham signed off on a new £10 yearly charge for pensioners who wished to continue to use their TFGM travel passes on the region's trains and trams. The charge is said to help fund a London-style bus system. Pensioners resident in London boroughs get free travel on all public transport in London from the age of 60, while Burnham kept the Manchester system linked to the much later state pension age. Burnham pledged to bring Manchester's bus network back into public ownership by 2025. The plans were legally challenged by bus operators Stagecoach Group and Rotala, but in March 2022 the mayor and authority won the case at the High Court. Media analysts commented that the ruling could pave the way for other city regions in England to regulate bus services that had been privatised since the 1980s. Capped fares of £2 for adult single fares were introduced in September 2022, prior to the bus network becoming regulated.

COVID-19 pandemic

In March 2020, Burnham called for clearer advice on slowing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, citing his previous experience as health secretary during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. He welcomed the additional measures implemented across Greater Manchester and Lancashire by Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak in July during the pandemic, in the knowledge that (at the time) some areas across North West England had lower infection rates than the rest of the country.

On 15 October 2020, Burnham, along with other North West leaders, backed away from government talks to place Greater Manchester in tier 3 – the most restrictive level – of a new three-tier categorisation. He cited the grants system for businesses and 80% furlough scheme for employees as insufficient, saying they would push people into poverty and destitution which would outweigh the impact of the virus if mitigated correctly. Many of the concerns such as the impact on businesses and employees were shared by local Conservative MPs in Greater Manchester and surrounding areas. For his campaigning to secure more furlough funding, he was dubbed the "King of the North" by the media. However, he did not secure as much extra money as he had wanted, being forced to lower his request for £90 million to £65 million.

Investigations into child sexual exploitation

Shortly after first being elected as mayor in 2017, Burnham initiated a review of historical child sexual abuse allegations in Manchester and Rochdale, later expanding the scope of the investigation to Oldham. Part one of the review (focusing on Manchester) reported in 2020, part two (focusing on Oldham) reported in 2022, part three (focusing on Rochdale) reported in 2023 and part four (led by HMICFRS and covering the whole of Greater Manchester) reported in 2025.

In January 2025, Burnham backed calls for a national public inquiry with limited scope into group-based child sexual exploitation and the power to compel people to give evidence. This came a day after the House of Commons voted against a wrecking amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill calling for an inquiry. The amendment, proposed by the Conservative Party, had been subject to a whip which prevented Labour MPs from supporting it.

Greater Manchester Baccalaureate

Main article: Greater Manchester Baccalaureate

Upon his third re-election in 2024, Burnham expressed his wish to "give everyone growing up [in Manchester] an equal alternative to the university route" through the creation of a baccalaureate in collaboration with local and prospective businesses, in an attempt to provide certainty that young people in Greater Manchester have the skills needed by businesses in the area. The scheme, nicknamed the MBacc, aims to be fully operational by 2030.

National profile and Labour leadership campaign

Main articles: 2026 Labour Party leadership crisis and 2026 Labour Party leadership election (UK)

Burnham (left) in a meeting with Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, July 2024

Burnham has been touted by many commentators as a potential successor to Labour Party leader and incumbent Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whom he supported during the 2020 leadership election. Following his landslide re-election in 2021, he emerged as the bookmakers' favourite to become the next Labour leader. Asked about his ambitions, Burnham said his role as mayor was his priority, but made himself available in case "they [Labour] needed me one day in the future". In September 2023, Burnham was ranked twelfth on the New Statesman's Left Power List, described as a "key dissenter" and a "crucial voice" in the party, as well as a potential future party leader.

Starmer went on to win the 2024 general election, returning Labour to government. While his honeymoon period was brief, Burnham maintained high approval in Greater Manchester and, by August 2025, polls identified Burnham as the most popular senior Labour figure. In September 2025, the foundation of the Burnham-backed Mainstream was seen as raising the prospect of a possible leadership challenge. Two polls released during the 2025 Labour Party Conference separately found that 62% of Labour members would support Burnham over Starmer, and that Burnham would be the first choice among prospective Labour leaders, with 43% of the preferences, well above Wes Streeting's 9%.

On 24 January, Burnham applied to stand as Labour's candidate in the 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election, but was blocked in an 8–1 vote by the NEC on 25 January 2026, with Starmer voting against what had been framed as a route to a potential challenge from Burnham to his leadership. Meanwhile, concern existed among Labour figures that Burnham's candidacy would lead to a by-election for the position of mayor, which would be costly and politically risky for the party: MP Graham Stringer expressed his reluctance to let Reform UK "have a go" at winning the mayoralty. The by-election was ultimately won by the Green candidate Hannah Spencer. Burnham had previously beaten Spencer in the 2024 mayoral election by a margin of 375,000 votes.

Burnham with Starmer and Angela Rayner during a primary school visit, April 2026

The Labour Party's poor performance in the 2026 local elections led to an ongoing crisis around Starmer's leadership, during which Burnham has been widely speculated to succeed Starmer as prime minister and Labour leader. On 11 May, Rayner said that the NEC blocking Burnham's return to parliament was a mistake. Burnham travelled to London on 12 May to meet MPs. On 13 May, Pippa Crerar on ITV's Peston reported that allies of Burnham said that they had found him a seat, and speculated about its identity.

His candidacy is popular with the soft left of the party. He is considered that faction's preferred candidate along with Angela Rayner. Some members of the Tribune group are also supportive. Labour MPs who have supported Burnham publicly include Miatta Fahnbulleh, Rachael Maskell, Clive Lewis, Paula Barker, Richard Burgon, Connor Naismith and Sarah Owen. He has been described as "the only major politician in the country who enjoys positive favourability ratings" according to opinion polls.

Following Burnham's by-election victory in Makerfield and subsequent return to parliament in June 2026, he was disqualified from continuing in office as mayor due to the legal requirement that MPs may not also be mayors with the powers of police and crime commissioners. A by-election is scheduled to take place to elect Burnham's replacement on 30 July.

Second parliamentary career

Main article: 2026 Makerfield by-election

A "Vote Andy For Us" campaign poster

On 14 May 2026, Josh Simons resigned as MP for Makerfield, in order to trigger a by-election on 18 June that might allow Burnham to stand again as an MP, and thus be eligible to challenge Starmer for the party leadership and premiership. On 19 May 2026, Burnham became Labour's candidate for Makerfield, after no other potential candidate made the shortlist. The by-election was described as one of the most consequential in recent British history.

The Manchester Evening News reported that Burnham would frame his campaign around trust in politics and "economic renewal", alongside more devolution of local powers. He named house building as one of his priorities for the area, alongside tackling anti-social behaviour by building "youth zones" in the area. He also pledged support for the area's coalfield community. In an interview with ITV News, he denied that he would campaign on a platform of rejoining the European Union, despite his support for the proposal "in the long term"; he also stated that the time had come for Labour to "take on" Reform, and would not be asking other parties to stand down for him.

The campaign's slogan was "Andy — For Us", with a stylised cartoon image of Burnham featured on Labour's campaign material. The Manchester-based band Oasis gave Burnham permission to use their song "Some Might Say" in the campaign. Burnham's use of social media was widely noted as a strength of his campaign, with reports that he had been resharing memes and fan account content supporting his candidacy, particularly referencing his daily running routine which had become an internet sensation.

Burnham's victory returned him to the House of Commons for the first time since 2017 and made him eligible to stand in any Labour leadership contest. He won 54.8% of the vote, increasing Labour's majority in Makerfield to 9,231 votes, compared with Josh Simons' 5,399 vote majority over Reform UK at the 2024 general election. Burnham won more votes than all other parties combined, with the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green candidates all losing their deposits. Turnout was 58.8%, up from 52.5% in the seat for the 2024 general election, the highest for a parliamentary by-election since Brecon and Radnorshire in 2019, with the third highest rise on a general election since 1945.

The result also created a vacancy in the Greater Manchester mayoralty. Burnham resigned as mayor on 19 June 2026, as the office-holder cannot also serve as an MP because the mayor holds police and crime commissioner powers. The 2026 Greater Manchester mayoral by-election was set for 30 July 2026, with the winner due to serve until the next scheduled election in May 2028. Paul Dennett, the mayor of Salford and Burnham's deputy mayor, is expected to serve as acting mayor until a successor is elected.

In his victory speech, Burnham said Labour had a "final chance to change" and described the result as a possible turning point in British politics. He called for a "Makerfield test" at the heart of national politics, under which policies would be judged by whether they worked for communities and delivered greater fairness to places he said had been neglected by Westminster. He also said he would prioritise local interests over party advantage, focus on practical problem-solving, seek to heal divisions after the campaign, and support greater powers for the North.

Starmer congratulated Burnham and said the result showed that the tide was turning on Reform UK, which he said had "probably" reached the peak of its support. He also initially said he would stand in any Labour leadership contest and would not "walk away". The result increased pressure on Starmer within the Labour Party, with some Labour figures calling for an orderly leadership transition. News media reported that over 100 Labour MPs were preparing to call on Starmer to resign, and allies suggested Burnham might have the backing of around 300 out of 403 Labour MPs.

On 22 June 2026, Starmer announced that he will stand down as Prime Minister, remaining in office until a new leader is elected. In response to Burnham's subsequent announcement that he would stand in the Labour Party leadership election, Wes Streeting endorsed him, a move which political experts claim makes a "coronation" more likely than a formal contest, as Streeting had been considered Burnham's most likely opponent. Burnham was sworn in as an MP later the same day.

Political views

Burnham has said that he joined the Labour Party at the age of 15. In 2010, he identified as a socialist. In his 2010 leadership bid Burnham emphasised his philosophy of "aspirational socialism", which he described as redistributive, collectivist and internationalist. He is a strong opponent of nationalism, which he has described as an "ugly brand of politics". In 2020, Iain Martin of The Times described Burnham as a "former Blairite" and associated with New Labour. In a 2010 interview with Andrew Marr, Burnham said he was proud of his association with New Labour. As mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham has rejected the approach taken by New Labour on housing and transport but has remained committed to New Labour's "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" approach. Politically, Burnham places himself on the soft left of the Labour Party. His politics have been described as soft left by a number of media outlets, including the Financial Times, the New Statesman, and LabourList.

Manchesterism

Main article: Manchesterism

Burnham with Scottish First Minister John Swinney and Mayor of Liverpool Steve Rotheram in Edinburgh, 2024

Burnham has used the term "Manchesterism" for the political philosophy underpinning his policy agenda as mayor of Greater Manchester – not to be confused with the 19th-century pro-free-trade Manchester Liberalism associated with Richard Cobden and John Bright, also known as Manchesterism. Burnham has characterised Manchesterism as "the end of neo-liberalism", "business-friendly socialism" and "a modern and functional response to the high-inequality, low-growth trap that came from the 1980s drive to privatise economic power and overcentralise political power in the Treasury". In a speech to the Centre for Cities, Burnham described it as a perspective that aimed to combine economic development with social benefits, with policies designed to explicitly channel the proceeds of growth towards communities, rejecting trickle-down economics. Examples of such policies he cited included re-establishing public control of buses through the creation of the Bee Network, and the Good Growth Fund, which provided £1 billion for three projects in each of Greater Manchester's boroughs. He stressed that such initiatives were only possible due to devolution, countering historical trends of political centralisation, although he also advocated for increased devolution of fiscal powers.

Burnham has also argued that the cost-of-living crisis of the 2020s has roots in Thatcherism, suggesting that the deregulation and privatisation of the 1980s led to increases in the costs of essential goods, noting the effects of Right to Buy on an unregulated rental sector resulting in increasing state expenditure on Housing Benefit. He contends that such problems were exacerbated by government austerity and Brexit. Manchesterism has also been characterised as embodying collaboration and partnership working between stakeholders, including cooperation between government, business and trade unions, different public services, community groups, and administrations of different political complexions among Greater Manchester's borough councils.

Writing for the Financial Times in May 2026, Stephen Bush argued that the policy offer Burnham was making as a prospective Labour Party leader was to the left of the policy he had actually implemented during his mayoralty, which in turn was to the right of the stance of the Starmer ministry. Bush suggested that this may have been due to the institutional constraints on, and weaknesses of, the metro mayor role. In a January 2026 piece for the London Review of Books, Michael Chessum compared Manchesterism's emphasis on moving away from neoliberalism to the approaches to governance advocated by the socialist parties of Spain and Portugal.

Social

Burnham attending Manchester Pride in 2025

Burnham supported the use of all-women shortlists for parliamentary candidate selections. In an interview in The Daily Telegraph in October 2007, Burnham said: "I think it's better when children are in a home where their parents are married" and "it's not wrong that the tax system should recognise commitment and marriage".

Burnham has stated that he is a supporter of LGBT rights and voted in favour of same-sex marriage in 2013. In 2020, Burnham met with the anti-transgender UK organisation LGB Alliance to discuss a letter he had written to the government concerning changes to the Gender Recognition Act 2004. When concerns were raised over it being an anti-transgender organisation he replied that there "was no mention in the letter of the LGB Alliance" before the meeting and his representatives replied stating he had "made his support for the trans community very clear over the years".

In 2026, Burnham said that people need to "stop arguing" about transgender rights, and have a "live and let live" approach – while simultaneously retracting his prior support for trans people being allowed to use single-sex facilities, instead voicing support for the regulations enacted by the Equality and Human Rights Commission in the wake of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers.

Economics

In his 2015 leadership bid, Burnham pledged to commit Labour to "a policy of progressive renationalisation of the railway system". Following the 2024 General Election, Labour steadily progressed with the previous Conservative government's plan to nationalise the railway system, aiming for completion by 2027. Burnham also favours a universal graduate tax to replace student tuition fees. He has advocated a National Care Service, integrating care services into the National Health Service. In his leadership bid, Burnham's key economic policies included a new levy to fund social care, extending the higher minimum wage to under-25s, and banning zero-hour contracts. Burnham described the mansion tax proposed by Ed Miliband as "the politics of envy", saying he knew it would lose votes when his mother phoned and told him it represented a return to the 1970s.

In May 2026, Burnham vowed to put energy, housing, water and transport under "stronger public control" if he succeeds Keir Starmer as Prime Minister. He has said that Thames Water should be nationalised.

Devolution

Burnham is a strong supporter of devolving power and, in his 2015 leadership campaign, criticised the "Westminster Bubble" – the London-centric focus in British politics and perceived detachment from life outside Westminster. Some opponents and political commentators accused him of being a part of the same bubble he criticises. He views devolution of powers to Greater Manchester (including its elected mayor) as an opportunity for urban regeneration. He also called for a focus on Northern identity. After he was elected as mayor of Greater Manchester, he described the new powers for northern cities as "the dawn of a new era". Burnham feels the government does not invest enough money in the North of England, saying: "Almost five years after the government promised us a northern powerhouse, we learn that public spending in the north has fallen while rising in the south. This has got to stop and it is time that the north came to the front of the queue for public investment".

Immigration

In 2016, as Shadow Home Secretary, Burnham opposed migration caps. Burnham also opposed a bill requiring landlords to conduct immigration checks for illegal immigrants.

It was reported in May 2026 that Burnham supports Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's efforts to limit legal and illegal immigration. The same month, he stood back from past calls to scrap the "no recourse to public funds" rule, which prevents immigrants getting access to benefits or public housing before being granted settled status.

Foreign policy

Burnham voted for the Iraq War, which he later described as his 'worst experience' in parliament.

Constitutional and electoral reform

Burnham is a supporter of replacing the House of Lords with an elected Senate of the nations and regions and for switching elections to the House of Commons to a form of proportional representation. He has also spoken in favour of the non-proportional alternative vote and advocated reform of the whipping system to make it easier for MPs to vote in their constituency's interests. In a May 2026 interview, as part of his campaign for the 2026 Makerfield by-election, Burnham said that he would require electoral reform "to be in a manifesto and endorsed at a general election", rejecting the idea of introducing proportional representation in the current parliament.

Head North

In 2024, Burnham co-authored Head North: A Rallying Cry for a More Equal Britain with the Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram. The book was described by Benjamin Myers for The Observer as "offering hope to the northern regions when it is most needed, and reminding us that those politicians who refuse to toe the party line are often those who history remembers most favourably." In contrast, it was described by Jonathan Ball in the New Statesman as simplifying the North–South divide in England to "'London elite' vs 'neglected north' caricatures".

Personal life

Burnham married Dutch-born Marie-France van Heel in 2000, the two having been in a relationship since their university days. The couple have a son and two daughters.

Burnham was brought up Catholic. In the 2015 leadership contest, he praised Pope Francis, but urged him to promote a progressive stance on gay rights. In a newspaper interview during the contest, he stated that he had been repeatedly at odds with the Catholic Church while he was an MP, and that this resulted in strained personal relationships.

Burnham has stated that he primarily defines his identity as British rather than English, which he has attributed to his Irish heritage. He has said that he sees himself as British first, a north-westerner second, a Liverpudlian third and English fourth.

Burnham has a brother, Nick, who is the principal of Cardinal Newman College, a Catholic school in Preston. Burnham's father has Alzheimer's disease.

Burnham is a supporter of rugby league, was the honorary chairman of Leigh Centurions for a short time, and is now an honorary vice-president. He was a talented junior cricketer (playing for Lancashire CCC Juniors) and a keen footballer, and competed at both sports for his college. He has played for Labour's "Demon Eyes F.C." football team, and is a lifelong fan of Premier League football club Everton. In July 2003, Burnham played for Conference club Leigh RMI in a pre-season friendly against Everton. He came on as an 88th minute substitute for Neil Robinson in the 1–1 draw at Hilton Park. Burnham was president of the Rugby Football League from July 2018 until the summer of 2019.

In July 2022, Burnham was ordered to pay £1,984 in fines, charges and costs, and given six penalty points after he had admitted to driving at 78 mph (126 km/h) on a motorway where there was a temporarily reduced 40 mph (64 km/h) speed limit.

In media

Burnham was portrayed by Matthew McNulty in Anne (2022), an ITV miniseries about the Hillsborough disaster.

In the inaugural season of Saturday Night Live UK, Burnham was portrayed by Paddy Young in a cold open sketch in the season finale where Burnham, Wes Streeting (portrayed by Jack Shep) and Angela Rayner (portrayed by Celeste Dring) were having "property viewings" of 10 Downing Street. This sketch parodied the Labour leadership crisis occurring at the time.

Burnham has also been referenced in comedy through "The Andy Burnham", a novelty dance routine featured on The Harry Hill Show. Inspired by footage of Burnham dancing, the routine became a recurring segment of the programme, with comedian host Harry Hill teaching it to guests, including fellow comedian Ed Gamble.

External links

• Andy Burnham on X
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Profile on OpenSanctions, an open database of sanctions and persons of interest
• Profile at Public Accountability Initiatives LittleSis website

Audio clips

• Interview with GMR after 2005 election BBC Manchester

Video clips

• Delivering 18 week NHS target YouTube
• Appearances on C-SPAN