London: The path is clear for Andy Burnham. He is set to become the UK’s 59th Prime Minister after being elected leader of the Labour Party.
The 56-year-old Burnham will take charge at 10 Downing Street on Monday, Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) chairperson Shabana Mahmood announced at a special party conference in London.
“There was only one nominated MP… hardly a nail-biter,” she said.
As per tradition, King Charles III will on Monday invite Burnham to form a new government after outgoing PM Keir Starmer tenders his resignation to the monarch.
Burnham’s journey to 10 Downing Street has been quite dramatic.
A decade ago, he abandoned a 20-year climb up the Labour Party ladder in London to move north and run for mayor of Greater Manchester. A month ago, he returned to Parliament by winning a risky special election, reported AP. And on Monday, he will become the Prime Minister – the 10th in the last decade.
The sensational rise of Burnham has no doubt been fast-tracked by the sudden downfall of Starmer, who is on his way out after just two years in office.
Born in Liverpool, Burnham made his name in Manchester after growing up in a commuter village between the famous northwest English cities.
Burnham was raised in a close-knit Catholic family, his father having worked as a British Telecom engineer and his mother as a receptionist.
UK PRIME MINISTERS SINCE 2016
* David Cameron – 2010 To 2016
* Theresa May – 2016 To 2019
* Boris Johnson – 2019 to 2022
* Liz Truss – 2022
* Rishi Sunak – 2022 to 2024
* Keir Starmer – 2024 to 2026.
