Andy Burnham, nicknamed the “King of the North,” was elected leader of Britain’s ruling Labor Party on Friday. This is the final step in his bid to become the seventh prime minister in a decade, on a pledge to halt the rise of populist Reform Britain.
Mr Burnham, who as Mayor of Greater Manchester earned a dignified nickname for his determination to protect the interests of the region, told a “special press conference” on Friday that he was ready to take over power and would work to give hope to people in “forgotten places everywhere”.
“We are united, and we are using the strength that comes from that unity to help people and communities who have long waited for politics to give them hope again,” he told a room packed with Labor MPs and party figures.
“And that’s what we’re going to do, folks, we’re going to give them hope back.”
He also paid tribute to Keir Starmer, who will be sworn in as UK prime minister on Monday, but his party will seek out his ministerial team and want to know more about his approach to government.
Burnham’s massive “rebalance of power”
Despite offering hope to places that feel left behind, there is still much to know about how Burnham will govern.
He has given one speech since winning the Makerfield seat and returning to parliament last month, but it was the start of a four-week process to oust Mr Starmer, who was unpopular and resented MPs across Britain, and become prime minister.
In it, he outlined some of his domestic agenda, saying he wanted to oversee the “biggest rebalancing of power” from London to Britain’s regions. He said he believed this would reduce inequality and the anger felt by “marginalized communities” who are increasingly flocking to reform.
The message that there was a plan to halt the rise of reformists appealed to Labor MPs who feared losing their seats to veteran Brexiteer Nigel Farage’s populist party at the next national election, due by 2029. Reformers have been leading the polls for months.
Some of that shine has been tarnished in recent weeks by Mr Farage’s acceptance of money from wealthy donors, perhaps giving Mr Burnham a chance to revive Labour’s fortunes.
But he doesn’t have much time.
With a general election less than three years away, Mr Burnham needs to start delivering on some of his promises as soon as possible, many of which are based on long-term thinking.
Nigel Wilcock, executive director of the Economic Development Institute, an independent body representing economic development professionals, said Mr Burnham had spent years making the case for a different approach to economic growth.
“The challenge is to make that vision a reality.”
