LONDON: Former Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is expected to be made Labour leader next week and take office as Britain’s new prime minister on July 20, replacing Keir Starmer.Three hundred and twenty-two out of 403 Labour MPs backed Burnham’s leadership bid on Thursday, the day nominations opened. It was one short of the 323 needed before it is mathematically impossible for a rival to run against him. Any MP wishing to contest the leadership needs the backing of at least 81 MPs. By Friday, no one else had entered the contest and all the possible contenders, such as Wes Streeting, had thrown their backing behind Burnham. Some Labour MPs were not in Parliament on Thursday and have said they will back Burnham when back.Nominations for the leadership election close at 6 pm on July 15 when it is widely expected Burnham will be announced the new Labour leader by the returning officer. Burnham will also need to receive nominations from at least three affiliates, such as trade unions, which he will not have any problems getting. As he is uncontested, Labour members will not get to vote.On July 20 Starmer is expected to resign and Burnham will meet the King and ask for his permission to form govt. Burnham is expected to enter No. 10 the same day.Neeraj Patil, chair of Hindus for Labour, said: “Andy Burnham paid tribute to the contributions of the British Hindu community during the Makerfield byelection, where we campaigned for him. and said he remembered Bengaluru as a beautiful garden city after visiting in 2019. He will be a very socialist prime minister, more caring about the working classes, improving public services, reducing the cost of living, and improving public services and infrastructure.”Former Labour MP Virendra Sharma said: “We served together in Parliament. He was very hard working and proved his credentials as mayor. He is very popular for his policies and the implementation of policies. He will prove to be an effective PM of this country. He will take the public view with him and accommodate the people that matter most to the party.”Burnham said: “Britain needs a new approach to politics. That is the circuit breaker I am offering: power out of Westminster, an economy rewired for ordinary people, and good growth in every postcode.”
