In Britain, Burnham becomes leader of British Labour Party, replacing Starmer

Andy Burnham has become leader of the British Labour Party and declared his readiness to "defeat the new British right" before taking office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on Monday.

This is reported by The Guardian.

Burnham is a former mayor of Greater Manchester, he won the overwhelming support of MPs, trade unions and party branches, which made him the only candidate to replace Keir Starmer.

Addressing a roomful of senior Labour politicians and supporters, Burnham said the country was "begging for new politics". But he warned that this was "the last chance for Labour to change" and the party must do it together, as a single movement.

"This is a moment that fills me and my family with pride and emotion. I am ready for this - ready to lead the party and build on what one man has built more than any other. Under Keir Starmer's leadership, we have gone from our worst defeat to one of our greatest victories in history," he said.

Despite his praise for Starmer, Burnham sought to draw a line under the past, asking whether Labour had been "good enough" and promising to "do better."

While he has yet to release a detailed programme, Burnham has said the main areas he wants to focus on are devolution to local communities, pro-business policies and building more social and council housing.

Burnham is expected to take office as Prime Minister on Monday after Starmer heads to Buckingham Palace to begin the handover process. Burnham will then give a speech outside Downing Street and name his cabinet in the afternoon, although he said on Friday he had not yet decided who would be part of his leadership team.

Responding to criticism that he was too focused on the north as mayor, Burnham said he would be a leader for the north, south, east, west, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Who is Andy Burnham

According to the AP, Burnham rose to prominence in Manchester, but he was born in Liverpool and raised in a suburb between the two rival cities in northwest England.

His father worked as an engineer for British Telecom and his mother was a secretary, and he was raised in a close-knit Catholic family. Burnham himself has said he is "not particularly religious", but his Catholic upbringing, along with the centre-left Labour Party, helped shape his values ​​and sense of social justice.

Burnham and his brothers were the first generation in their family to go to university. And not just any university – Burnham studied at Cambridge, one of the country's oldest and most prestigious universities.

He graduated with a degree in English and met his future wife, a fellow Dutch student, Marie-France Van Heel, who is now a marketing manager. The couple married in 2000; they have a son and two daughters.

After graduating, Burnham worked as a journalist for trade publications and later became a research fellow and an advisor to Labour Party politicians. He was elected to parliament in 2001. From 2007 to 2010, he served in Brown's cabinet as chief secretary to the Treasury, culture minister and health minister.

After the Labour Party lost power in 2010, Burnham ran for party leadership that year and in 2015, but was defeated on both occasions. In 2017, at a time when Labour's national popularity was at its lowest point, he resigned from parliament to run for mayor of Greater Manchester, which he won.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he sharply criticised Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson for what he called a "London-centric" approach to the crisis that was hurting northern cities. It was during this time that he was nicknamed "King of the North" – a Game of Thrones-inspired reference that symbolised both his defence of his home region and his political ambitions.

He claimed to see his work in central government as "unfinished business" and got his chance when Starmer was forced to resign by Labour colleagues concerned about the party's low popularity.

However, Burnham still needed a seat in parliament. One Labour MP agreed to resign, triggering an early elections in the Makerfield district in the Manchester area. Burnham won a convincing victory over the candidate from the anti-immigration Reform UK party, strengthening his reputation as the winner.

In the subsequent fight for Starmer's place as leader of the Labour Party, he was the only candidate.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Lammy said that the country's foreign policy, in particular support for Ukraine, will remain unchanged when the reins of power pass to the new Prime Minister after the resignation of Keir Starmer.