Andy Burnham completes Great North Run half marathon for homelessness charity

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Wearing the number 10 on his bib, Mr Burnham joined over 63,000 runners on the 13.1 mile half marathon route, which starts in Newcastle, over the Tyne Bridge, to finish in South Shields.

Mr Burnham set up a Just Giving page to explain why he is raising money for Changing Lives, a charity which provides emergency housing for those in need and also works to tackle the root causes of homelessness.

“I'm running the 45th Great North Run for Changing Lives because I've seen the difference they make with my own eyes,” wrote Mr Burnham on his Just Giving page.

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“A few weeks back I visited Alex's Place [a Changing Lives location] in Newcastle to launch our drive to offer everyone a route off the streets by Christmas," said Mr Burnham.

“I sat down with residents over a cup of tea and heard what it actually takes to rebuild a life once you've lost everything - not just a roof, but people who stick with you while you find your feet again.

“That's what Changing Lives does. Tackling homelessness is a moral mission for me. It's why I promised to end rough sleeping on my first day as PM, and why I'm proud to pull on a Changing Lives shirt today.

"If you can spare a few quid, please chip in and support them.”

This focus on homelessness is a continued thread from Burnham’s first day in government, when his first pledge made to the British public was to combat rough sleeping.

The PM, who is known to be a keen runner, has raised £9,480 so far on his fundraising site.

After crossing the finish line at 1.13 pm, with a run time of just under two hours, Burnham called the race “the best sporting event in the British calendar” and “the best Great North Run I’ve been a part of".

Mr Burnham ran the Boston Marathon in 2019 to raise money for charities that were set up following the 2017 Manchester Arena attack.

He ran that in 5 hours 13 minutes and 52 seconds and said “this will definitely be my last [marathon]!”

The fastest recorded MP was Matthew Parris, the MP for Derbyshire West from 1979 to 1989.

He ran the London Marathon in 1985 in a time of 2 hours and 32 minutes.