AdvertisementAdvertisementLabour Party's Andy Burnham reacts as he delivers a speech at the People's History Museum in Manchester, England on Jun 29, 2026. (File photo: AP/Alastair Grant)09 Jul 2026 04:03PM (Updated: 09 Jul 2026 04:06PM) Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST LONDON: Nominations open on Thursday (Jul 9) in a Labour Party election to replace Keir Starmer as Britain’s prime minister, a contest in which there is expected to be just one candidate.Former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham will be collecting signatures from Labour lawmakers and needs at least 80 to run – a target he’s likely to well exceed.Other potential contenders have all ruled themselves out. Former Defence Minister Al Carns, who had been pondering a run, confirmed late on Wednesday that he will not challenge Burnham.“I’d hoped a leadership contest would give us the opportunity for a proper debate,” Carns said in a statement. “But months of internal Labour politics isn’t what the country needs right now. We’ve got to get on with the job. Andy Burnham’s earned this and he’s got my full backing.”Show MoreShow LessNominations remain open until Jul 16. Burnham is highly likely to be announced as the new Labour leader the following day, and to become prime minister after a meeting with King Charles III on Jul 20.Starmer announced last month that he would resign as soon as his centre-left party chose a successor. He was elected in a landslide in July 2024, but quit after two years in office marred by missteps and judgment errors that eroded his standing with his party and the public.Who is Andy Burnham, the frontrunner to become the next UK prime minister?Trump criticises UK's Starmer after resignation announcementBurnham spent almost a decade running Manchester in northwest England before returning to Parliament by winning a special election last month.He’s promising sweeping change, vowing to reverse almost two decades of low growth since the 2008 financial crisis through an approach dubbed “Manchesterism” - harnessing private and public money to invest in areas like transport, housing and infrastructure.But he will face many of the same political and economic challenges as Starmer, including a sluggish economy, tattered public services and a cost-of-living squeeze.He also promised continuity in foreign policy, writing in The Times of London that the government’s “commitment to NATO and the UK’s nuclear deterrent will remain absolute”.He said Britain will remain a firm ally of the United States and a strong supporter of Ukraine.Source: AP/dcSign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST