Andy Burnham has become the leader of the U.K.’s Labour party, paving the way for him to take over as Prime Minister following Keir Starmer‘s resignation last month.
Burnham, sporting a suit and red tie, was greeted with thunderous applause after being announced as the new Labour leader at a special leadership conference on Friday. “What a moment,” Burnham said as he took the podium. “What backing you’ve given me.”
He continued: “This is a proud moment you have given me and my family today, and an emotional one. But it is one for which I am ready. I am ready — ready to lead and to build on the foundation laid by one person more than any other.”
Burnham then thanked Starmer, saying that under his leadership “we went from our worst defeat to one of the best victories in our history. Keir put Labour back in a position to change people’s lives, and that is what we have been doing these last two years.”
The formal handover at 10 Downing Street is expected on Monday, capping a five-week run from Burnham’s return to Parliament via a by-election win to his installation as the country’s seventh prime minister in a decade.
