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Andy Burnham's journey to become the UK's next prime minister is "a powerful reminder that leadership, talent and ambition don't begin and end in Westminster", according to the metro mayor of Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram.

"There was a time when metro mayors were looked down at as a bit of an experiment", Rotheram says in a statement X.

But he says "one of them is about to become prime minister" which shows "how far devolution has come - and how much further it still has to go".

Rotheram says Burnham is "one of the strongest champions of devolution this country has seen" as he congratulates him on his "remarkable" journey from his hometown in Aintree, Merseyside, to get to No 10.

More than a decade after he first ran for the leadership, Andy Burnham has been confirmed as Labour leader and is set to walk into No 10 as prime minister on Monday.

Here's how Friday unfolded, in pictures:

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Any reform to social care is likely to cost billions per yearpublished at 14:56 BST

14:56 BST

By Ben Chu, policy and analysis correspondent

England’s social care system, which is delivered mainly by independent providers, is widely perceived as underfunded and unfair.

Public funding is means tested - and estimates indicate two million older people are living with some unmet need, plus about 10% of people aged 65 and over face lifetime social care costs in excess of £100,000.

Labour's 2024 manifesto pledged a new “national care service”, but the government kicked the reform can down road and commissioned a review on options for reform by 2028.

Andy Burnham has previously described social care as a “broken” system and suggested he will ask for this report by the end of 2026.

But any reform is likely to cost billions of pounds a year.

Five big challenges facing Andy Burnham - and how he might tackle them

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Andy Burnham's decision to return to Westminster meant he had to leave his post as the mayor of Greater Manchester, a position he had held since 2017.

He had been the first person to hold that job, which he won after standing down as the Labour MP for Leigh nearly 10 years ago. That constituency neighbours his new patch Makerfield in the Greater Manchester region.

Burnham has touted bringing bus services in Manchester back under public control as part of the "Bee Network" as a major success, and says it can inform his approach as nationalising other industries.

He later earned the nickname "King of the North" after making a defiant, open-air speech in 2020 telling the Conservative government that Manchester would not accept tougher Covid restrictions.

Burnham also pledged to end rough sleeping in the region by 2020, a target he failed to meet. However, figures provided by the mayor towards the end of 2024 showed a 25% reduction in the number of rough sleepers on the streets of Manchester.

He also faced criticism after £100m in taxpayer funding was spent on a clean air zone that was never implemented in Manchester.

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May 7 - Labour suffers heavy election losses, including a historic defeat in the Welsh Senedd. Reform UK gains over 1,450 councillors in England.

May 14 - Wes Streeting resigns as health secretary and tells Keir Starmer it is "clear you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election".

May 14 - The same day, Makerfield MP Josh Simons announces he is resigning, clearing a path for Andy Burnham to return to Parliament as an MP.

June 11 - John Healey resigns as defence secretary in a dispute over military spending. Armed Forces Minister Al Carns follows suit.

June 18 - Andy Burnham wins the Makerfield by-election with a majority of over 9,000 votes.

June 22 - Despite previously saying he would stand in a leadership contest, Starmer resigns in a speech outside Downing Street. Burnham is sworn in as an MP later that day, and confirms he is running to be Labour leader.

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"As I accept the honour of leading this party forward, I will tell you about five things I will do to make us so, to make us better," Andy Burnham told the special Labour conference in London earlier.

These are the five promises he made.

1. Stopping Labour infighting: Burnham promised to build a "one Labour culture", and eradicate what he called "insidious briefing"
2. Building a "new politics": He vowed to fix "the big things" that politics has "neglected", citing social care as an example
3. Working with other parties, but with a "distinctively Labour" direction: The party wouldn't try to "out Green the Greens" or "out Reform Reform", he said
4. Being a leader for all of the UK: Burnham said, as Manchester mayor, he sought to give the north of England "the strongest voice I could," and now he wants to do "the same for everywhere"
5. Take power back from Westminster. He spoke of giving powers "over life's essentials" to "the place where you live" - powers to build "council and social homes" or "improve your high street"

Faisal Islam
Economics editor

It was just five months ago when Andy Burnham retreated to his mayor's office in Manchester, having been blocked by Labour's ruling executive from standing for parliament.

When I met him there a few weeks later, he told me he planned to deal with his disappointment with some ambitious plans for his city region.

Burnham told me he wanted to appeal directly to Fifa to host the final of women's football World Cup in 2035 Manchester instead of Wembley. "Imagine how electrifying that is for any girl growing up in the north of England," he said.

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He said he was also joining forces with other mayors for a "Great Northern" Olympic bid across the north of England, and a plan was also afoot to host the Ryder Cup in Bolton. Sports bodies needed "re-educating" about the rest of the country, he said.

Manchester has already poached the Brit Awards from London after half a century in the capital.

Big, bold gestures like these tell part of the story of what has happened in the city. Burnham's civic ambition is a byproduct of Manchester's status as the fastest-growing city economy in the country. As Burnham prepares to become prime minister, will he be able to apply the same model to the whole of the nation?

Read Faisal Islam's full, in-depth analysis over here.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has also been speaking with the BBC following Burnham's speech this lunchtime.

Khan, who has been given a peerage by outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, says he is "hugely optimistic" about Burnham becoming PM and his plans "for the entire country - north, east, south, west".

Asked by Vicki Young whether he has any concerns about what Burnham's plans might mean for London, Khan says he is "reassured" by his pledge to be a pro-business leader.

"He wants good growth in every postcode in the country," the mayor says, adding "the streets in London aren't paved with gold" and there are still inequalities there.

"Andy gets the fact that people in Lewisham and Newham in London feel as disconnected with Whitehall as those in Liverpool and Newcastle," he adds.

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Scotland's First Minister John Swinney has congratulated Andy Burnham on becoming Labour leader, while also calling on him to respect the independence question.

"I’ll work constructively with the next Prime Minister to improve the lives of people in Scotland, but that relationship must respect the simple democratic principle that Scotland has the right to decide our future," he writes on X.

Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill also says she "stand[s] ready to work constructively" with Burnham, but adds that she will make the case for "our democratic right to determine our own future here on the island of Ireland".

We haven't yet heard from Wales's First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth, but his party Plaid Cymru posted on X before Burnham's speech saying it hopes Burnham's leadership "marks the beginning of a more respectful and productive relationship between Wales and Westminster".

"As a champion of devolution, the King of the North must now deliver on Wales’s mandate for greater powers," the party adds.

Andy Burnham has just been confirmed as the new Labour leader after receiving 379 nominations from his fellow MPs.

But he is still not prime minister - that job is still held by Keir Starmer.

That changeover will take place on Monday, when Keir Starmer is due to go and see the King and resign.

Burnham will then follow him to Buckingham Palace, where the King will officially ask him to form a government. Burnham will then be prime minister.

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Leader of Scottish Labour Anas Sarwar says there is a "real sense of hope and optimism" in the Labour Party following Andy Burnham's installation as leader.

The challenge now is ensuring "people and communities in every corner of the country feel the same," and can see politics delivering for them, he tells BBC News.

He says there is a need to unify behind Burnham as the country faces a "fight for the heart and soul of our nation" over the coming years - a reference to the rise of Reform UK.

He says it's either going to be a success with Burnham and Labour, or a country that ends up in the "hands of Nigel Farage and the new right".

Asked why Burnham can succeed where Keir Starmer failed, Sarwar says Burnham has a "different perspective" from his time outside of Westminster.

Senior figures in the Labour Party remain tight-lipped on what Burnham's top team will look like.

The BBC's Vicki Young has just been interviewing politicians at the conference venue, and asked Lucy Powell if she has any idea what job she might get.

"No, I'm deputy leader and I still will be on Monday," Powell says.

As a reminder, Burnham says he still hasn't decided - but that his cabinet will reflect voices from across the party.

Here's what we know so far - including speculation Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood could be a favourite for No 11.

Burnham's bold speech was light on specifics - but he made big promisespublished at 13:17 BST

13:17 BST

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

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There we have it - the broad vision of the UK's prime minister in waiting.

A few things struck me.

Firstly - Burnham is promising big. He is billing this as the biggest moment of change in decades - which will make life more affordable.

There will be a lot of pressure on him now to deliver that - and show the public what it means in practice.

With questions swirling about how detailed Burnham's plan is - he was at pains to say he was ready and knew exactly what he wanted to do with power.

This speech was light on specifics - we are likely to get more details next week when he moves into Downing Street.

It also struck me that he insisted he had not made decisions on the cabinet yet.

There has been considerable speculation about who could end up in the top jobs. Mr Burnham says it is all to be confirmed.

That may raise some eyebrows - does he really not know who is going to be running the economy come Monday afternoon? But we can see what Mr Burnham's guiding principles will be.

Getting power out of London. Making life more affordable. Governing in an "authentically" Labour way. And with a "new" politics - with less infighting and more working together.

All bold pledges that Mr Burnham will soon have to start delivering.

Burnham is trying to broaden his appeal beyond Greater Manchesterpublished at 13:02 BST

13:02 BST

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

In Andy Burnham's own eyes, let alone anyone else's, this is clearly a big shift in emphasis.

Burnham talks about the Labour Party no longer being the Labour Party that people recognise.

He began by saying that this was the view of the people in Makerfield, where he won that by-election a month or so ago.

But then - and I think he is clearly self conscious about broadening his appeal beyond Greater Manchester - he spoke of people who used to vote Labour in the dockyards of the Tyne and the Tees, in London, and in the mill towns of the east and west Pennines.

It was an attempt by Burnham to broaden his appeal.

And not just for himself; but to broaden also the Labour Party's appeal and posture far beyond what Keir Starmer presented to the public in 2024.

Jenna Moon
Live editor

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Andy Burnham took the stage as Labour's new leader and PM-in-waiting to a raucous standing ovation. "What a moment," he said, before adding: "I'm ready."

And after thanking outgoing PM Keir Starmer for his leadership, Burnham launched into what can be expected from him as he heads up the party.

He pledged to do five things as leader:

Build a "one Labour team": Decrying the party's history of infighting, Burnham said that factionalism has "bedevilled" Labour, adding a divided party can't "beat Britain's new right if we are infighting".

A new type of politics: Claiming the public is "crying out" for change in politics, Burnham said voters were switched off. He said he gained ground in the Makerfield by-election because he was honest about the need for new politics - but added: "This is our last chance for change."

Refining the party's political direction: While Burnham said he would work with other parties, he added that Labour would now be "boldly, confidently us", rather than adopting other parties' politics.

A leader for the whole UK: Burnham promised that he would be "a leader for the north, the south, the east, the west, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland". He pledged to unite the country to a common cause.

Decentralising Whitehall: Echoing his previous commitment to devolve government from Westminster, Burnham said that he wanted to give power back to areas around the country.

We got a few glimpses of the policies that a Labour Party under Burnham would adopt: The new leader promised new council homes, reinvigorated high streets and improvements to education. Despite speculation, Burnham said he is yet to decide who will be in his top team.

Our political correspondents will continue to digest what we heard this afternoon - stay with us here for more analysis to come.

Burnham's first speech as Labour leader was extremely boldpublished at 12:53 BST

12:53 BST

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Andy Burnham's Labour leadership acceptance speech was an extremely bold one.

It started off talking about building on a platform built by Keir Starmer.

And then it went much bigger. He talked about the biggest change moment in 40 years of British politics.

He talked about ending factionalism in the Labour Party. (I don't know which of those is a bigger task than the other.)

It was the speech of a man who does not believe that he is going to be just the latest in the long line of prime ministers there have been in the past decade.

Burnham says he hasn't got everything right, adding that he's "sorry" where he's fallen short. "But I have "always given it my all," he says.

He says he has listened and learned as he's gone along - "and hopefully I've got better as a result".

He adds that he knows what he believes and what he wants to do: "I have a plan".

Burnham brings his speech to an end by vowing to "bring back hope" as the new leader of the Labour party.

"I believe in all of you and I am confident we can do it," he adds.

He receives a standing ovation and applause as he concludes his speech.

Burnham's fifth pledge is to take power back from Westminster and Whitehall and give it to "the place where you live".

He says people should have more power over life's essentials to make them work better and so they are more affordable.

Burnham says he is a pro-business leader of the Labour Party, and vows to take more power to reindustrialise and improve education to give everyone a path in life.

He says his plan is to "bring back the hope we have all been missing too much".

"People are looking for us to deliver and we will," he says.

Image source, UK Pool

Outlining his fourth commitment, Burnham says he will be a leader "for the north, the south, the east and the west; for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland".

He says the north of England has "given me so much" and he sought to give it the strongest voice he could - but now he will do the "same for everywhere".

He says he loves every part of the country but knows they can be more than they are, adding that the government should help them "take power" to be more.

"Kids shouldn't have to leave those places, those proud places, to get on in life," he says.

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Burnham says he will work with other parties where he can, but will set a direction that is "distinctively Labour" and the party will win by being "boldly, confidently, authentically us".

He says Britain took a series of wrong turns in the 1980s, when he says "political power was centralised and economic power was privatised".

He adds that the country surrendered control of the essentials such as housing, water, energy and transport and left people exposed to higher costs, which "led to the concentration of more wealth and power in the hands of fewer people and fewer places".