Andy Burnham was appointed the UK’s new Prime Minister on Monday, following the resignation of his predecessor, Keir Starmer. He vacated the position last month in the wake of intense speculation over his continued ability to lead the Labour Party, following a dismal performance in the local elections earlier this year.In parallel, another unlikely figure was on the rise. Andy Burnham, 56, who sat out the 2024 general elections that Labour won, swept the Makerfield by-election this year. He subsequently won the internal party contest, with his ascension coming at a time of intense scrutiny and disorganisation in the Labour Party.Early Labour yearsAndrew Murray Burnham was born in Lancashire and read English at the University of Cambridge. Until 2001, he served as a special advisor to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Chris Smith.In 2001, Burnham entered the House of Commons and was elected as the MP for Leigh in 2001. He climbed the political ladder over the next few years by working in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and became the Health Secretary.From 2010 to 2017, Burnham served in several positions in the shadow Cabinet, which comprises members of the Opposition in the UK. Burnham unsuccessfully contested Labour’s internal elections in 2010 and 2015. In 2016, he announced his intention to contest the mayoral elections and take a step back from Westminster. Britain’s King Charles III welcomes Andy Burnham, left, during an audience at Buckingham Palace, London, where he invited the leader of the Labour Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government. (AP)King of the NorthBurnham was elected as Mayor of Manchester in 2017 and was re-elected twice, but his standout moment came during a Covid-era lockdown standoff in 2020 with the Central government.Story continues below this adHe organised an unscripted press conference in response to the then Conservative government’s attempts to force Greater Manchester into strict tiers without requisite financial support. His strongly worded statement branding the central government’s approach as “brutal” and “disgraceful” earned him the moniker “King of the North” while cementing his position as a leader looking out for smaller, forgotten communities.Burnham also went on to establish the Bee Network, which was a public transport overhaul that pioneered an affordable, unified and fully integrated system outside of London. His attempts were well-received — visible in his re-election in 2021 and 2024, where he won over 60% of the vote.Return to WestminsterToday, Burnham’s return has been attributed to his emerging economic philosophy dubbed “Manchesterism”. This concept champions aggressive state-level intervention to promote regional growth and devolution of power.Former Ambassador to Belgium and the EU, Manjeev Singh Puri, told The Indian Express: “Labour might think that he is the man to galvanise them to be a party that can win the upcoming 2029 general elections.” This power to galvanise was seen within a day of Burnham’s win in Makerfield, amid Starmer’s weakened position. “Fundamentally, Burnham also enjoys being on the right side of perception since Starmer reached a point after his 2024 landslide victory where Labour MPs didn’t perceive him as the next general election leader,” Puri said.Story continues below this adBurnham was the favourite early on after Starmer’s exit, securing the votes of 379 of the 403 Labour MPs. Ideologically, he walks a factional tightrope, representative of the challenges Labour faces. He has advocated expanding council housing to appease the more left-leaning voters, while pledging himself as a ‘pro-business’ PM to reassure the centrist right.