Andy Burnham is declared leader of UK's Labour Party, pledges to restore hope

By — Jill Lawless, Associated Press Jill Lawless, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/andy-burnham-is-declared-leader-of-uks-labour-party-pledges-to-restore-hope Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Andy Burnham is declared leader of UK's Labour Party, pledges to restore hope World Jul 17, 2026 2:41 PM EDT LONDON (AP) — Andy Burnham was officially declared leader of Britain's governing Labour Party on Friday, promising to bring hope to the British people and purpose to the floundering government as he cleared his final hurdle to take office as prime minister next week. The former mayor of Greater Manchester was the only contender in the center-left party's leadership contest to replace departing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was forced out by a rebellion within his party. Friday's announcement was a foregone conclusion after Burnham secured nominations from 379 of the 403 Labour lawmakers in the House of Commons. READ MORE: Andy Burnham distanced himself from UK Prime Minister Starmer, but may be stuck with his policies Burnham pledged to serve "people and places who have been waiting too long for politics to let them hope again." "We're going to give them hope back," he told an audience of lawmakers, party activists and trade union leaders in his first speech as leader. "I am ready." "I have a plan," he added, in a bid to reassure a party that has seen its popularity nosedive since winning a landslide election victory two years ago. He pledged to end Labour's factional disputes, saying "we won't beat Britain's new right if we are consumed by infighting and pulling in different directions." The prime minister in waiting is about to take office Burnham has been prime minister-in-waiting for weeks, since winning a special election for a seat in Parliament a month ago, but he has revealed little detail about his policy priorities. He will arrive in Number 10 Downing Street largely unknown to voters outside Manchester. He sketched out some priorities in Friday's speech, promising to deliver "hope in every heart" and "good growth in every post code," in part by transferring power from central government in London to local leaders in cities and regions. "We will take power back from Westminster and Whitehall and give it to the place you live," he told the audience. "More power over life's essentials so you can make them work better." WATCH: Starmer resigns as UK's prime minister, succumbing to political pressure Starmer announced last month that he would resign after two years in office marred by missteps and judgment errors that eroded his standing with his party and the public. Labour regularly trails behind anti-immigration party Reform UK in opinion polls, and the governing party had catastrophic results in local elections in May, triggering pressure on Starmer to step down that he couldn't resist. Burnham deemed a better communicator than Starmer B