When will Andy Burnham become Prime Minister?
Former Mayor of Greater Manchester becomes Labour leader and becoming PM is now a formality
Andy Burnham is now in the odd position of being Labour Party leader but not yet prime minister, as he prepares to succeed Sir Keir Starmer at No. 10.
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Sir Keir has said he is leaving "with pride" as Makerfield MP Mr Burnham takes over in charge of Labour, with formalities set to follow to confirm the succession of leaders.
The former Mayor of Greater Manchester was able to secure the keys to No 10 without a leadership contest, after securing 379 out of 403 nominations (94%) of the nominations from MPs - well above the 20% required.
Sir Keir has this week completed a so-called farewell tour, which has seen him attend the recent Nato conference and join Bastille Day celebrations. He held an emotional final PMQs on Wednesday, when Kemi Badenoch paid tribute.
He announced his resignation in June and pledged to carry on as PM for as long as it took for a new Labour leader to be found.
It appeared the writing was on the wall for his tenure, which began in July 2024, after Mr Burnham - who is said to have long held ambitions for top office - returned to the Commons, which made him eligible to stand against Sir Keir.
Mr Burnham won last month's Makerfield by-election and thus surrendered his role as Greater Manchester Mayor.
How has Andy Burnham become prime minister-in-waiting?
Mr Burnham was the only Labour MP to announce they would run to be leader after Sir Keir resigned.
Any candidate needed to secure the backing of 81 MPs.
On Monday, Mr Burnham secured the backing of 349 MPs, which meant that there were fewer than 81 MPs who could have backed anyone else.
Therefore, Mr Burnham has become the prime minister-in-waiting.
Other potential challengers for the leadership included Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting and Al Carns, but none ultimately decided to run.
When will Andy Burnham become prime minister?
Andy Burnham will become prime minister on Monday, July 20, as the House of Commons goes into recess.
Sir Keir will meet with King Charles on Monday to formally resign and Mr Burnham will then meet the Monarch, who will ask him to form a government.
Appointees to the Cabinet will be announced over the course of the day.