Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleSam BrookesMonday 22 June 2026 17:38 BSTAndy Burnham sworn in as Makerfield MPAndy Burnham was sworn in as an MP on Monday after winning last week’s Makerfield by-election.Burnham travelled down to Westminster from Manchester earlier in the day, shortly after Keir Starmer confirmed he was resigning as prime minister.Burnham is widely expected to be the next prime minister after receiving the backing of a number of senior Labour MPs, and could take the post in a matter of weeks.First, he had to be sworn in as an MP, and after taking the oath in the Houses of Parliament, Burnham was heckled as another MP shouted out: “He’s not the messiah!”Burnham laughed off the reference from the 1979 film Monty Python’s Life of Brian, before cheekily retorting: “Naughty boy!” which drew laughs from the House.Thank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in