Andy Burnham has effectively been confirmed as the next Labour Party UK leader after receiving an extra 27 nominations from Labour MPs, taking his total to 349.
The additional nominations, on top of the 322 he received last week, mean it is now impossible for any other candidate to gain the 81 endorsements needed to challenge for the Labour leadership.
While almost 80 per cent of the parliamentary Labour Party formally nominated Burnham last week, extra endorsements on Monday took him over the line. Those included backing from the communities secretary, Steve Reed, a key ally of UK prime minister Keir Starmer.
Reed was the only member of the cabinet not to nominate Burnham last week – Shabana Mahmood and Anna Turley by convention will not nominate anyone because of their positions chairing Labour’s national executive committee and the party respectively. Starmer, as outgoing leader, also by convention does not take part.
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Others who nominated Burnham on Monday included the junior ministers Chris Bryant and Mike Tapp, the former minister Jess Phillips and Richard Burgon, the secretary of the leftwing Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs.
As the only candidate to replace Starmer, Burnham is expected to formally take over the Labour leadership at a special party conference on Friday. He will then become prime minister three days later, on July 20th.
Despite being the only candidate, Burnham is still expected to take part in an online hustings with Labour MPs later on Monday. – The Guardian
