Veteran British politician Andy Burnham has been confirmed as the new leader of the United Kingdom’s governing Labour Party, paving the way for him to become the country’s next Prime Minister.
Burnham emerged unopposed at a special Labour Party conference held on Friday after no other candidate secured the required nominations to contest the leadership position.
Announcing the result, the UK’s Interior Minister, Shabana Mahmood, officially declared Burnham the new Labour Party leader.
“There being no other eligibly nominated candidate, it is therefore my honour to declare that the duly elected leader of the Labour Party is Andy Burnham,” Mahmood announced.
Burnham’s emergence follows the resignation of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer as Labour Party leader after increasing political pressure within the party.
The former Mayor of Greater Manchester is expected to officially take office as Prime Minister on Monday after the constitutional transition process.
In his acceptance speech, Burnham promised to unite the Labour Party, rebuild public confidence in government and introduce policies that would give more powers to local communities while improving public services and boosting economic growth.
