Who is Andy Burnham? Labour leader becomes prime minister
Former Mayor of Greater Manchester to hold conference with King and pick Cabinet as he becomes PM
Britain gets a new Prime Minister on Monday. Stay with the LBC app for full live coverage as Andy Burnham takes the keys to Downing Street.
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Andy Burnham is set to become prime minister, Britain's fifth in five years, having been elected Labour leader by MPs.
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He will succeed Sir Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation last month, stating: "The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election.
“I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace."
Mr Burnham won the Makerfield seat by more than 9,000 votes from Reform and has relinquished his role as Greater Manchester Mayor to return to the Commons.
The 56-year-old is now back in Parliament for the first time since 2017, which was a move required to stand for Labour leadership - which he won without a contest after votes from MPs were counted.
In his Makerfield by-election victory speech, Mr Burnham said: "There will be no second chance.
"But it is a chance now, from this result tonight, to build a new politics based on unity and hope, turning away from the path that takes us to a divided, dark politics of the kind we see in the United States."
Here is all you need to know about him.
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Who is Andy Burnham?
The 56-year-old is a long-time figure within the Labour Party, having been MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester from 2001 to 2017.
From May 2017, he was Mayor of Greater Manchester - winning that election, and two subsequent votes in 2021 and 2024.
His achievements in the role include bringing the bus network under local government control, moving forward with a £300m housing fund, and launching the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate education path.
Mr Burnham is considered to be “soft left” within the party, meaning he would perhaps be aligned to the ideologies of Tony Blair or Gordon Brown - and more socialist than Sir Keir.
Indeed, the pair have not always seen eye-to-eye, and now Mr Burnham has gone a step further by launching Mainstream, a network of members who are pushing for more socialist policies.
A backer said: "He [Mr Burnham] really does represent what the Labour Party is about. He's not only demonstrated that across Manchester but the leadership he does give on many issues, I think that's the kind of leadership we need at this time.”
Who is Andy Burnham’s wife, Marie-France van Heel?
Mr Burnham has been married to Marie-France van Heel, who is Dutch, since 2000.
The pair have a son and two daughters.
The pair met while studying at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University, and Van Heel appeared on the TV series Blind Date around this time.
Frankie, as she is known, has worked as a brand consultant for BSkyB and her own firm MVH Marketing.
She had a double mastectomy in 2010 after discovering she had a breast cancer gene, with three of her family members having died from the illness.
What could Andy Burnham do as prime minister?
Mr Burnham has stressed that changes will be made to "how Britain is governed".
His policies are thought to include:
- Further northern devolution,
- Renationalisation of some public services, including water and energy,
- More council housing,
- Further enforcements to bolster immigration.
This article was updated on July 20, 2026, to reflect news events.