LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government is in turmoil and the man many think could save it isn’t even eligible for the job.Not yet, at least, though a path is now open for Andy Burnham, the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, to try to unseat beleaguered Prime Minister Keir Starmer.It’s far from a sure thing, as there would be big hurdles to clear.Burnham would first need to return to Parliament, where he could then try to mount a challenge to Starmer’s leadership.Starmer, who has vowed to lead on, has been on the ropes, facing plummeting approval ratings and questions about his judgment, and seeing the Labour Party take a beating in U.K.-wide local elections this month. One key Cabinet member has already resigned, and more than a fifth of the party’s lawmakers in the House of Commons are urging him to stand down.
A return home yields a new look and nicknameBurnham, 56, is seen as Starmer’s biggest would-be rival, partly because he’s perceived to be to the political left of the prime minister.The mayor is known as the “King of the North,” and his Labour backers will be hoping that moniker reaps rewards.The allusion to the popular Jon Snow character in “Game of Thrones” is a sign of respect earned for Burnham’s fierce backing of northern England, its working class culture and heritage. It projects an image that he’s not part of the London political establishment. For many northerners, that counts for a lot.
