Andy Burnham sworn into parliament after Keir Starmer resigns as British prime minister
London: Andy Burnham is about to achieve a staggering rise to power rarely seen in the Westminster system in Britain or elsewhere, including Australia.
Until last Thursday, he was the mayor of a major city but had no seat in parliament. He is now the obvious choice to become the country’s next prime minister. And it seems certain he will get there without a ballot.
This is a radical departure from the leadership leaks that the British and Australian public have seen for years. Even before he was sworn into parliament, Burnham emerged as the clear leader; This is an event that will take place in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon local time (just after midnight, AEST).
In most cases the challenger comes from within the cabinet and has recent ministerial experience at the top of government, although Paul Keating left the executive to defeat Bob Hawke in the second challenge in 1991. That’s not the case with Burnham.
In desperation, Labor turned to outsiders to save its government. The result is a foregone conclusion after three steps carried out within two hours on Monday morning in the UK.
First, Keir Starmer said he would step down as prime minister at 9.30am. Burnham later posted on social media at 11:02 a.m. stating that she would put herself forward as leader. Then, at 11.05am, potential rival former health secretary Wes Streeting announced he would not run and would support Burnham instead.
Other contenders for the leadership may emerge, but they will face major obstacles to joining the contest. Under Labor Party rules, they need the approval of 81 of the 403 MPs in the House of Commons to hold a vote. That’s why Burnham’s rise now looks so certain.
This is a strange development for Labor, which was elected into government just two years ago. This is only happening because Starmer can’t lead and MPs can’t hold their nerve. A leadership change like this, just like in Australia, is an admission of failure not only for the leader but also for the party room.
While Starmer led Labor to a landslide victory in the 2024 election, he and his MPs were not ready to govern. And it showed. When he attempted tough changes like welfare reform, lawmakers rebelled and he backed down. Later Labor Party sources would complain in the press that he was weak.
This has become a toxic dynamic in a parliamentary party full of panicked MPs arriving at the Palace of Westminster for the first time. Starmer could not impose discipline on complaining ministers and backbenchers. He was an experienced lawyer, but he had never served in the government and had not learned the art of politics. Not only was he a soft communicator in public, he was also unable to outmaneuver his rivals within and outside the party.
There are lessons to be learned from Australia, if only Starmer and his MPs would bother to learn them. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed the Labor Party conference in Liverpool last September, telling assembled MPs to take action on tough policy issues and stay united.
“Delivering change is more difficult than demanding it,” Albanese said at the conference. “It is harder to work within the system than to go against it.”
Whatever the criticisms of the Albanians and Labor in Canberra, the prime minister and his cabinet colleagues made serious policy changes and council members remained courageous.
By contrast, Starmer continued to drift and his cabinet colleagues continued to snipe. And Labor MPs at Westminster have continually talked about their own side without even the slightest sign of unity.
Burnham is no novice in politics. He knows Westminster and became health minister the year before Labor lost power in 2010. He left parliament to become mayor of Greater Manchester for almost a decade. He has proven to be a lethal political operator: just look at how he brought down Starmer and, with the help of the press, positioned himself as the undisputed leader.
A centrist with big ideas for economic reform, Streeting is an intriguing candidate for Chancellor of the Exchequer. But Labor ranks are shifting further to the left and Burnham may listen. Streeting is a known admirer of Keating (they met in 2023) and would have known about the Hawke/Keating example of combining a popular prime minister with a reformist treasurer.
Many things are possible in theory, but this uprising actually shows that Labor is a mess. He was not ready to govern in 2024 and there is no reason to be confident that he has learned from his failure.
A week ago, Burnham was in charge of buses and garbage collection. He will then rule the country. He is hugely popular within Labor ranks, but the party is taking an incredible risk. Leadership leaks often lead to an explosion of enthusiasm for the new prime minister. Disappointment comes later.
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David Crowe is the European correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect with: X or email.
