When does Andy Burnham replace Sir Keir Starmer?. hyn

The former Mayor of Greater Manchester has been able to secure the keys to No 10 without a leadership contest, which has put the current prime minister on notice.

Sir Keir is now completing a so-called farewell tour, which has seen him attend the recent Nato conference and join Bastille Day celebrations.

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 is more or less confirmed, but does still require the approval of three organisations affiliated to the Labour Party to rubberstamp his victory.

But the almost universal approval among Labour’s 403 MPs means that Party members will not need to vote.

Assuming three organisations, as expected, give their backing to Mr Burnham, he will become prime minister on Monday, July 20, as the House of Commons goes into recess.

Sir Keir Starmer will front his final Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, July 15.