Andy Burnham is on the verge of being crowned Britain's next prime minister after Labour MPs rushed to demonstrate loyalty to their 'King of the North'.
Some 322 of the party's MPs - nearly 80 per cent of Labour's seats in the House of Commons - have nominated Mr Burnham to replace Keir Starmer, it was announced tonight.
It means Mr Burnham, dubbed by some as his party's 'messiah', is almost guaranteed to enter Downing Street on July 20 - despite questions about his mandate to lead the country as he's not faced a public vote or revealed much of his policy platform.
The Makerfield MP is on course for a 'coronation' that bypasses a full Labour leadership contest.
He needs just one more nomination to ensure no other contender can reach the required 81 supporters needed to be a candidate and to force a vote of Labour's wider party membership.
