The third could be the right one. After failing twice in his conquest of the Labor Party, in 2010 and then in 2015, Andy Burnham, elected MP last Thursday, could finally reach the summit of British power. The resignation of Keir Starmer opens a path for the man whom the media across the Channel have nicknamed for several years the “King of the North”. The BBC broadcast live his arrival in the capital on Monday and his taxi ride to his new throne at Parliament in Westminster.
300 kilometers from his stronghold, the Mayor of Greater Manchester sworn in as an MP and confirmed his candidacy to succeed Keir Starmer, with whom the resemblance is obvious. Same formal demeanor, same square-framed black glasses. We almost believe we are seeing a rejuvenated version of the resigning Prime Minister, who is leaving Downing Street after just under two years.
Born on January 7, 1970 in Liverpool, the son of a telecommunications technician and a medical receptionist, Andy Burnham got involved very early. He joined the Labor Party at just 14 years old, saying he was “radicalized” by the long miners’ strike of 1984-1985 and the clash with the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher. An English student at Cambridge, he However, he was not immediately destined for a political career. After his studies, he started in specialized journalism, working in particular for professional magazines Tank World And Passenger World Management.
LBritain’s favorite personality
His first contact with Westminster came in the early 1990s when he became parliamentary assistant to Tessa Jowell, future minister in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. His rise accelerated in 2001 when he was elected MP for Leigh. He rose through the ranks to join the government, notably occupying the positions of Secretary of Culture and then Health. When the Brown government fell, Andy Burnham made his first attempt to take control of Labour. In vain. Fourth in the 2010 internal vote won by Ed Miliband, he failed again five years later against Jeremy Corbyn. Two defeats which could have sealed its national destiny.
It is far from Westminster that he will rebuild his influence. In 2017, he left national politics to become Greater Manchester’s first elected mayor. His notoriety explodes during the pandemic Covid-19. Opposed to restrictions imposed by the Conservative government of Boris Johnsonhe accuses London of treating the north of England with “contempt”. The standoff made him the spokesperson for an England feeling forgotten by central power. It was during this period that the nickname appeared that still pursues him today: the “King of the North”. Triumphantly re-elected in 2021 at the head of Greater Manchester, he is gradually transforming his local mandate into a political springboard.
Now all that remains is to take the last step. Labour’s National Executive Committee is due to officially open the race to succeed Keir Starmer on July 9. But barring any surprises, Andy Burnham seems to have already won. Former Health Minister Wes Streeting, the only other declared contender, lined up behind him on Monday, considerably reducing the prospect of a real internal battle. If no strong competitor emerges in the coming days, Andy Burnham would then enter Downing Street in mid-July, where the equation that awaits him is formidable…
If Andy Burnham is the British’s favorite personality according to the YouGov institute, he would inherit a country facing sluggish growth, a persistent cost of living crisis and the push of Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party, which has already called for new legislative elections.
