Andy Burnham has been confirmed as the new leader of Britain’s Labour Party, clearing the way for him to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister.

The 56-year-old former mayor of Greater Manchester ran unopposed after receiving the backing of 379 of Labour’s 403 members of Parliament, as well as 23 affiliated organizations.

Burnham was formally announced as leader during a special Labour conference in London on Friday. Starmer is expected to submit his resignation to King Charles III on Monday, after which Burnham will be invited to form a government.

He will become the United Kingdom’s 59th prime minister and the seventh person to hold the position in a decade.

In his first speech as Labour leader, Burnham promised to restore hope among voters and described his rise as the most significant opportunity for political change in Britain in 40 years.

He argued that the country’s economic model was no longer working well enough for ordinary people and called for a government willing to confront problems that successive administrations had failed to address.

Burnham placed party unity at the center of his leadership agenda, promising to end internal factionalism and what he described as a damaging culture of anonymous briefings and political leaks.

He said his government would pursue policies that were distinctively Labour without attempting to imitate the environmental platform of the Green Party or the populist message of Reform UK.

The incoming prime minister also promised to work constructively with other political parties while preserving Labour’s identity and values.

Burnham said his Cabinet would include figures representing different wings of the party and communities across the country. He has not yet announced who will receive the most senior government positions.

Known as the “King of the North” because of his years advocating for northern England, Burnham pledged to represent every nation and region of the United Kingdom.

His political profile grew significantly during his time as mayor of Greater Manchester, where he frequently challenged the concentration of political and economic power in London.

Burnham now wants to transfer more authority from Westminster to regional and local governments.

Under his proposals, local authorities would receive greater powers to build social housing, regenerate shopping districts, support local businesses and develop new manufacturing projects.

He argued that giving communities greater control over their economies would help generate sustainable growth beyond London and southeastern England.

Burnham used a significant part of his speech to criticize the economic transformation that began under former Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

He argued that Britain took a series of wrong turns during the 1980s as political power became more centralized and essential services—including housing, water, energy and transportation—were increasingly transferred to private ownership.

According to Burnham, those decisions contributed to rising living costs and concentrated wealth and political influence in fewer hands and regions.

He called for greater public control over essential services, presenting the policy as a way to address inflation, reduce household expenses and improve accountability.

Burnham previously introduced tighter public regulation of Greater Manchester’s bus network, a policy he is expected to cite as a model for broader transportation reform.

However, his first speech offered limited detail about how his economic plans would be funded or implemented.

He promised to build an economy capable of delivering meaningful growth in every British community, while acknowledging that his generation of politicians had failed to challenge a political culture and economic system that did not sufficiently serve the public.

Burnham’s victory follows two unsuccessful attempts to become Labour leader.

He first entered the leadership contest in 2010 but struggled to build enough support. He ran again in 2015, losing to Jeremy Corbyn as Labour moved further to the left.

Burnham later left Parliament and was elected mayor of Greater Manchester, where he rebuilt his national political reputation by campaigning for local communities and criticizing London’s dominance over decision-making.

He returned to the House of Commons in June after winning the Makerfield by-election, allowing him to compete for the Labour leadership following Starmer’s resignation.

Labour’s leadership rules required prospective candidates to secure nominations from at least 20% of the party’s MPs. Burnham’s overwhelming support made it mathematically impossible for another candidate to reach the required threshold.

His rise comes after Labour suffered declining public support, local election setbacks and losses in Wales despite winning a large parliamentary majority in the 2024 general election.

Many Labour MPs concluded that Burnham offered the party its strongest chance of rebuilding public support before the next national vote.

His first major test will begin when he enters 10 Downing Street and names his Cabinet. While his acceptance speech received a positive response from supporters, it focused more heavily on hope and political direction than detailed policies, leaving questions about how his promised transformation will work in practice.