Who Is Andy Burnham? Trump Critic Tipped as UK PM Hopeful

Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester and a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, appears set to become the United Kingdom’s next prime minister after emerging as the sole contender to succeed outgoing Labour leader Keir Starmer.

Burnham, 56, secured backing from 322 of Labour’s 403 Members of Parliament on the opening day of the party’s leadership process. That total easily cleared the 81 nominations needed to stand, effectively shutting out any would-be challengers.

He is expected to be officially confirmed as Labour leader on Friday, before King Charles III appoints him prime minister on Monday following Starmer’s resignation.

Under Britain’s parliamentary system, the governing party can change its leader — and, by extension, the prime minister — without triggering a national vote. The next U.K. general election is not required until 2029.

Burnham’s swift ascent toward Downing Street is already prompting criticism from opposition figures and foreign policy observers, who argue that he has avoided the level of public examination typically associated with a contested leadership race or a general election campaign.

“Andy Burnham is the least scrutinized incoming U.K. Prime Minister of recent times,” Alan Mendoza, executive director of the London-based Henry Jackson Society, told INC News.

“He has faced neither a general election nor an internal party leadership debate in order to establish his positions for wider consumption,” Mendoza said. “He wasn’t even a candidate at the last general election.”

Burnham did, however, win 54.8% of the vote in June’s Makerfield parliamentary by-election, defeating Reform UK’s candidate and returning to the House of Commons after nearly a decade away. Before returning to Parliament, he had been directly elected mayor of Greater Manchester three times.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage argued in a previous interview with INC News that Burnham should seek a new national mandate.

“The public are tired of the game of musical chairs that’s been taking place in 10 Downing Street over the last decade,” Farage said.

“Mr. Burnham will come in, he will have no mandate,” he added. “I don’t even know what his policies are. Literally, I don’t. So, I think for all of those reasons, there ought to be a general election and a fresh mandate.”

Farage made the comments before resigning his parliamentary seat this month to trigger an Aug. 13 by-election in Clacton, where he plans to run again. Farage said he wanted voters to judge him amid parliamentary scrutiny over allegations involving gifts from wealthy supporters. He has denied wrongdoing. Police are separately investigating donations made to Reform UK, but no arrests have been announced.

Burnham grew up in north-west England between Liverpool and Manchester. The son of a British Telecom engineer and a receptionist, he joined the Labour Party as a teenager, studied at Cambridge University and was first elected to Parliament in 2001, according to The Associated Press.

He rose through Labour’s ranks during the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and served in several senior positions, including as culture secretary and health secretary.

Burnham ran unsuccessfully for the Labour leadership in 2010 and again in 2015. He left Parliament in 2017 after winning election as mayor of Greater Manchester, a regional position he used to build a national political profile.

As mayor, Burnham promoted greater regional control over transportation and public services. His administration brought Greater Manchester’s fragmented bus system under public control as part of the Bee Network, a regional transportation project that became one of his signature achievements.

He also became closely associated with the campaign for accountability over the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster, in which 97 Liverpool soccer fans were killed. Burnham supported victims’ families in their long-running effort to expose police failures and rebut false accusations originally directed at supporters.

What has Andy Burnham said about President Trump?

Burnham has repeatedly criticized President Donald Trump, accusing him of contributing to global instability while warning that Britain risks importing the polarization of American politics. In a 2025 interview with The London Economic, Burnham compared Trump’s return to office to the turmoil caused in Britain by former Prime Minister Liz Truss. 

“The instability that Liz Truss brought to Britain, I think Trump is bringing to the U.S. and the world,” Burnham said in the interview. He also described several of Trump’s decisions, including his approach to the Russia-Ukraine war, as “out of order.”

Burnham’s criticism of Trump dates back to the president’s first election in 2016. After Trump’s victory, Burnham described some of his rhetoric as “deeply troubling” but argued that politicians on the left should examine why working-class voters had turned to him rather than simply blaming the electorate. 

“We have to look closer to home,” Burnham said, according to The Guardian.

His language became sharper following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. As the attack unfolded, Burnham wrote on X that “any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now.”

More recently, during his Makerfield parliamentary campaign, Burnham warned that Britain was moving toward “the politics of the United States of America,” which he described as “a polarized, poisonous politics where people in communities don’t work together anymore.”

Despite those attacks, Burnham has stopped short of advocating a rupture with Washington. According to Time, he supported Starmer’s effort to maintain a working relationship with Trump, while arguing that Britain must be prepared to disagree with the United States. 

“Obviously, the relationship is important to the U.K., but not to the point where we just go along with anything they say,” Burnham said. 

Trump has already responded dismissively to the likely incoming British leader. Asked in June what he knew about Burnham, Trump said, “I don’t know, I think I see that he was, I guess, the mayor of a town.” Trump added that he had heard Burnham was “extremely liberal” and suggested that he would oppose expanded North Sea oil drilling, before declaring that “the U.K. is dying,” according ton Reuters.

Burnham is generally regarded as being to the left of Starmer. He has said he wants to take what he calls “Manchesterism” nationwide, describing an approach that places “people and place before party” and transfers greater attention and authority from London to regions that have historically received less investment.

He has emphasized infrastructure, housing, transportation and regional economic development, while arguing against what he calls “trickle-down economics.” The Associated Press reported that his priorities have also included vocational education, youth employment, lower energy bills and cheaper rail travel.

Mendoza said that Burnham’s past positions and recent statements suggest he would move the British government further to the left.

“What we can be certain of is that he will be looking to impose a fairly radical left-wing agenda for the country based on his past beliefs and recent pronouncements,” Mendoza said.

“In no particular order, these include introduction of wealth taxes, changes to the electoral system, a vast expansion of social housing and attacks on hitherto allies of the U.K. like Israel.”

Burnham has sought to counter concerns about his limited recent national security experience. 

He has pledged continuity in Britain’s commitments to NATO, its nuclear deterrent, the United States and Ukraine, according to The Associated Press. 

He has also called for Britain to rebuild its military capabilities and domestic defense industry in response to what he described as an increasingly dangerous international environment.

On the war in Gaza, Burnham has criticized Labour’s earlier response and argued that the party was too slow to call for a ceasefire. The Associated Press reported that he has raised the possibility of additional sanctions and trade restrictions involving goods linked to Israeli settlements. Burnham has also condemned Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack against Israel.

Burnham has not served in Britain’s national government since 2010 and spent almost a decade outside Parliament, meaning his record is far more developed on domestic and regional policy than on current foreign policy and national security questions.

Burnham would not be required to call an immediate general election. Labour won a large parliamentary majority under Starmer in July 2024, allowing the party to remain in power until 2029 unless Burnham decides to seek an earlier mandate.

Mendoza predicted that Burnham could attempt to capitalize on the momentum surrounding his arrival at Downing Street.

“As he is never likelier to be more popular than on day one of his premiership, we should also be on the watch for his calling of an early general election in order to capitalize on this unique moment,” Mendoza said.

Burnham would inherit an economy facing weak growth, pressure on public finances, strained health and welfare services and continuing concern over the cost of living.

He would also become Britain’s seventh prime minister in just over a decade, reflecting the rapid political turnover at Downing Street since the country’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union.