Burnham cements Labour leadership with backing of 349 MPs

Andy Burnham has effectively been confirmed as the new Labour leader with 349 of the party's MPs having now nominated him to replace Sir Keir Starmer.

After a second day of nominations, the MP for Makerfield received the support of a further 27 Labour MPs - putting him on track to become prime minister on 20 July, with it now mathematically impossible for a rival to run against him.

He still requires the backing of three organisations affiliated to the Labour Party, at least two of which must be trade unions, although this is expected to be a formality.

The former mayor of Greater Manchester fielded questions from Labour MPs as the only participant in an online hustings on Monday evening.

It marks an extraordinary rise to power for a man who returned to Westminster only three weeks ago following his historic by-election win in Makerfield.

In a statement on Thursday after receiving the backing of 322 MPs on the first day of nominations, Burnham said support for him had come from across the party and reflected a "shared belief that Britain needs a new approach to politics".

"That is the circuit breaker I am offering: power out of Westminster, an economy rewired for ordinary people, and good growth in every postcode," Burnham said.

Under Labour's rules, leadership candidates need 20% of the party's MPs - 81 out of a total of 403 - to nominate them. With 349 officially backing Burnham, no rival candidate can now be nominated.

Burnham's own by-election victory and heavy Labour losses in May's local elections left Sir Keir facing calls from his own MPs for him to stand aside and allow Burnham to replace him.

Sir Keir quit as Labour leader on the same day Burnham was sworn in as an MP.

Burnham has twice before run to become the Labour leader, in 2010 and 2015 - losing to Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn respectively.

This time round, he has run unopposed and his route to No 10 will not require a vote over the summer among party members and affiliated trade union supporters.

Wes Streeting, Sir Keir's former health secretary, had been seen as a possible challenger, but he endorsed Burnham shortly after the prime minister's resignation.

Former Defence Minister Al Carns, who resigned from government following a dispute over the funding plan for the military, was then seen as the most likely remaining challenger to Burnham, but he ruled himself out of contention last Wednesday.

Burnham has faced calls from some within Labour to offer more details on policies he will look to implement in government.

The 56-year-old left Westminster in 2017 to run for the Greater Manchester mayoralty. He was elected three times.

But it has meant his opportunities to forge strong relationships with MPs elected since 2017, who make up the bulk of the Parliamentary Labour Party, have been limited.

He has also faced accusations of avoiding media scrutiny since he announced his intention to stand to replace Sir Keir. He has not taken questions from journalists after speeches and has so far given an interview only to Andrew Marr on LBC.

Burnham's approach to social media is also a central part of his team's strategy. The former Greater Manchester mayor frequently posts videos setting out areas of policy, and he has also held an online Q and A session for Reddit users.