LONDON— Andy Burnham moved to the brink of becoming Britain's next prime minister on Friday after winning the backing of an overwhelming majority of Labour lawmakers in the party's leadership race to replace Keir Starmer, leaving him effectively unopposed ahead of the close of nominations next week.
Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester and newly elected Labour member of parliament for Makerfield, secured the support of 322 of Labour's 403 MPs on the opening day of nominations, according to party figures. That left him one nomination short of mathematically guaranteeing he would be the sole candidate eligible to contest the leadership.
The leadership contest was triggered after Starmer announced his resignation in June following mounting pressure within the governing party after Labour's poor performance in local elections held in May. Under Labour's timetable, nominations remain open until next week, after which the party is expected to confirm whether a contested election is required.
Burnham's path was further cleared when former junior defence minister Al Carns, who had been viewed as the last potential challenger, announced he would not seek the leadership. Carns said the party should avoid a prolonged internal contest and instead focus on governing, publicly endorsing Burnham's candidacy.
Although a small number of Labour MPs had not yet submitted nominations because Parliament was not sitting, several lawmakers indicated they intended to support Burnham when MPs returned, making it increasingly unlikely another candidate could secure the threshold required to enter the race.
Labour's rules require prospective candidates to obtain the backing of at least 20% of the Parliamentary Labour Party before progressing. If Burnham remains the only qualified candidate after nominations close, he is expected to be formally declared Labour leader at a special party conference next week before becoming prime minister on July 20.
Burnham thanked colleagues for their support and said Britain needed a fresh direction, according to comments released during the leadership process. Support for his candidacy has come from across Labour's parliamentary factions as well as several affiliated trade unions.
Some Labour MPs have privately expressed concern that the absence of a competitive leadership contest limits internal debate over the party's future direction. However, no alternative candidate had formally emerged by Friday, leaving Burnham on course to succeed Starmer unless nominations produce an unexpected challenger before the deadline.
