Andy Burnham’s unlikely, but then inevitable rise to become UK prime minister is a classic tale of having the politician’s greatest talent: being in the right place at the right time.
A month ago, Burnham wasn’t even an MP. But he pounced on Keir Starmer’s deeply unpopular leadership style, making his candidacy in a by-election in Makerfield, a town between Manchester and his birthplace Liverpool, a de facto poll on his becoming prime minister. 72 hours after Burnham won by a landslide, Starmer announced his resignation rather than face a leadership challenge he knew he would lose.
Last week, Burnham was nominated as Labour party leader by more than 320 of Labour’s 403 MPs with no other candidates standing against him.
It is a case of third time lucky for the Labour leadership.
Having been culture secretary and then health secretary in the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown governments some 20 years ago. Burnham finished fourth in the leadership poll that followed Brown’s election defeat and resignation in 2010.
