Andy Burnham

Andrew Murray Burnham (born 7 January 1970) is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party since July 2026. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Makerfield in Greater Manchester since June 2026, and was Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 to 2026; before that he was MP for Leigh from 2001 to 2017 and held several Cabinet positions. Burnham identifies as a socialist and is associated with the Labour Party's soft left; he is also a member of the Co-operative Party, which is allied with Labour. His political ideology has been called "Manchesterism".

Burnham was born and brought up in northern England. He joined Labour at the age of 15 and read English at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He worked as a journalist and political adviser before being elected the MP for Leigh in 2001. Under the prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, Burnham was Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Culture Secretary, in which capacity he launched the Hillsborough Independent Panel. In 2009, as Health Secretary, he responded to the swine flu pandemic and launched an independent inquiry into the Stafford Hospital scandal.

Following Labour's defeat at the 2010 general election, Burnham served in the shadow cabinet from 2010 to 2016. He stood for the Labour leadership in 2010 and in 2015, coming fourth and second, respectively. In 2017, he stood down as an MP and was elected Mayor of Greater Manchester. He reorganised Manchester's tram and bus systems as the Bee Network and received the nickname "King of the North" for campaigning for more furlough funding for Northern communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Burnham's tenure as mayor increased his national profile and he was re-elected in 2021 and in 2024.

Following Labour's return to government in 2024, Burnham maintained strong approval ratings as those of the prime minister, Keir Starmer, declined, and came to be seen as a potential successor. He returned to Parliament in 2026 by winning the Makerfield by-election and resigned as mayor. Starmer announced his resignation, leading to a party leadership election in which Burnham won unopposed. During his premiership, Burnham has announced policies to move some government administration out of London as Number 10 North, cut fares on buses in England, reduce business rates on pubs, increase government support for apprenticeships and continue support for Ukraine.