Andy Burnham has taken another step towards becoming the next Labour leader and prime minister, after the vast majority of Labour MPs nominated him to replace Sir Keir Starmer.
Burnham’s Labour leadership bid has been backed by 322 out of 403 Labour MPs as he remains the only declared candidate.
It makes him just one short of the 323 needed before it is mathematically impossible for a rival to run against him. Some MPs say they were not able to vote on Thursday but will back Burnham once they are back in Parliament.
If no one else enters the contest, as expected, Burnham will be declared Labour leader next week before taking office as prime minister on 20 July.
It would mark an extraordinary rise to power following the former Greater Manchester mayor’s by-election win in Makerfield just weeks ago.
In a statement, Burnham said he was “deeply grateful” to the Labour MPs who had nominated him to be leader of the party.
He said the support had come from across the party and reflected a “shared belief that Britain needs a new approach to politics”.
“That is the circuit breaker I am offering: power out of Westminster, an economy rewired for ordinary people, and good growth in every postcode,” Burnham said.
