When will Andy Burnham become prime minister?

Andy Burnham is set to become Britain’s next prime minister after running for leader of the Labor Party following the resignation of Sir Keir Starmer.

The fast-paced series of events will see the former Manchester mayor take up the job less than a month after Sir Keir announced his intention to resign.

To get into Number 10, Mr Burnham had to become a Labor MP and then party leader. But while all other potential rivals retreated from the veteran politician, his path was surprisingly clear.

Labor MPs were invited to nominate their new leaders between 9 and 16 July. By the end of the contest, Mr. Burnham had received 379 of 403 nominations (94 percent); This made it mathematically impossible for any other challenger to get the 20 percent needed to challenge him.

This means Mr Burnham’s time as prime minister is much shorter than expected.

Here’s what happens next:

Friday 17 July – New Labor leader confirmed

On Friday, Mr Burnham will be formally confirmed as Labor leader at a special conference at noon.

He is expected to say that as leader and prime minister he will be “unashamedly Labour” and that his government will have “the courage to fix the big things that politics has neglected” and the “conviction to defend our plans”.

He is expected to add that Britain took “a series of wrong paths in the 1980s”, requiring Britain to take “a new path towards the path we have been on for the last 40 years”.

Sir Keir spent his last day as Labor leader in Ukraine, where he met President Vladimir Zelensky. To talk Sky News “I am leaving the country with pride,” he said, adding that he felt he had “saved” the Labor Party by making it re-electable.

Monday 20 July – Burnham becomes prime minister

It will be an interesting weekend for Mr Burnham, then, because while he is not yet technically prime minister, he is in the unique position of being the leader of the country’s largest party.

On Monday, Sir Keir will meet King Charles, likely at Buckingham Palace, to formally submit his resignation as Prime Minister.

Mr. Burnham will soon meet with the king, who will ask him to form a government.

The former Manchester mayor will next head to Number 10 to make a speech marking the beginning of his government.

A much-anticipated cabinet reshuffle is also expected to be announced today, with Mr Burnham confirming his senior team who will help deliver his ambitious political vision.

How did we get here?

It was a whirlwind chain of events that led to Ser Keir’s overthrow to make way for the ‘King in the North’. Here’s a summary of what’s happened so far:

7 May – Labor Party’s disastrous local elections

Voters are heading to the polls across England. Labor suffered major losses, losing control of 38 councils to increased Reform UK and Green support.

This devastating night triggers Labour’s leadership crisis, with four junior ministers resigning, followed by the resignation of former health minister Wes Streeting.

14 May – Westminster opening

Josh Simons resigned from his Parliamentary seat of Makerfield specifically to trigger a by-election, paving the way for Burnham’s attempted return to Westminster.

June 18 – Burnham wins at Makerfield

Burnham won the Makerfield by-election by a landslide majority of more than 9,000 votes and returned to the House of Commons, officially ending his term as Mayor of Greater Manchester.

June 22 – Starmer announces his resignation

Citing a lack of trust from MPs, Sir Keir triggered the leadership race by announcing his intention to resign as Labor leader and prime minister.

Follow The Independent’s live blog for the latest political updates on Andy Burnham’s takeover as prime minister