'King of the North': meet the Labor MP who could unseat British Prime Minister Keir Starmer

Former Mayor of Greater Manchester Burnham speaks to Labor Party members and supporters after winning the by-election in Makerfield..
REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja
Andy Burnham, the main Labor rival of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, was elected MP on Thursday (19), in a crucial vote that not only guarantees him a seat in the British Parliament. The landslide victory of the so-called "King of the North" paves the way for him to challenge the leadership of the head of the UK government.
Burnham, aged 56, is mayor of Greater Manchester and has a prominent career in the Labor Party. In the election in the Makerfield district, northwest of England, he obtained 54.8% of the vote against the candidate of the far-right Reform UK party, Robert Kenyon (34%).
The popular politician, who was once Minister of Health, said he plans to face Starmer at the helm of the progressive Labor Party. Burnham needed to win the local election to be able to start the race against the Prime Minister.
"I speak to my own party: this is the last chance for change", declared Burnham in his acceptance speech, after beating Robert Kenyon by more than nine thousand votes.
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"This is what people told me directly on the hundreds of doors I knocked on. We must listen to them, we must act accordingly and we must do it the right way. There will be no second chances", he said. "But now there is an opportunity, based on tonight's result," he added.
If Starmer steps down in 2025, the UK will have its seventh prime minister in 10 years. Labor has been in office since July 2024, and has clung to power since its party suffered a crushing defeat at the polls in England, Scotland and Wales last month.
On the social network X, he congratulated Burnham on her victory. "Voters voted in Labour's campaign for hope and optimism rather than division and hate," the Prime Minister wrote.
The King of the North
Known by the nickname "King of the North", Burnham is the most popular Labor politician in the United Kingdom, with three consecutive terms as mayor of Greater Manchester, and a member of the so-called moderate left wing of the party. Polls show he would win a straight vote against the more centrist Starmer.
Amid growing discontent within the ruling party with the Prime Minister, Labor MP Josh Simons resigned his seat in Makerfield so that Burnham could return to Parliament and run for leadership of the party. The unprecedented move drew attention to Burnham in an electoral district where he was considered an "outsider."
The region is predominantly white and working class, making it fertile ground for the far-right party, which overtook the Labor Party in national polls more than a year ago. The campaign of Kenyon, a local plumber, was damaged by offensive comments he made on social media about women, while the small far-right party, Restore Britain, took votes away from Reform.
Thursday's vote for the Makerfield seat was also considered a test to see whether "the King in the North" would be able to defeat Reform UK, led by the extremist Nigel Farage, with a strong anti-immigration orientation.
Massive voter mobilization Turnout in the election of Thursday was 59%, the highest in a partial vote in seven years, with more than 45,000 votes recorded. Burnham will take office as deputy next Monday (22).
According to Labor Party rules, all leadership hopefuls must be MPs. Ao que tudo indica, Burnham poderá reunir facilmente o apoio de 81 dos mais de 400 deputados da legenda, o mínimo necessário para iniciar uma disputa pelo comando do partido.
Na quarta-feira, Starmer disse que estava disposto a oferecer ao rival um "papel importante" em seu governo, em uma tentativa de evitar o desafio, uma ideia que, segundo a imprensa, foi rejeitada pela equipe do então prefeito.
O atual premiê britânico se viu em meio a um escândalo devido à nomeação de Peter Mandelson, former partner of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as ambassador to Washington. Dezenas de deputados trabalhistas pediram a renúncia de Starmer e vários ministros deixaram seus cargos.
No entanto, o ex-advogado de 63 anos, se recusa a renunciar, alegando que sua vitória eleitoral esmagadora sobre os conservadores em 2024 lhe concedeu um mandato de cinco anos para governar.

Source: G1