Andy Burnham is the Labour leader – third time lucky for the UK’s prime minister-in-waiting

Andy Burnham has won Labour's leadership for the third time he's sought it — and next week, he becomes the UK's fifty-ninth prime minister, per The Conversation. At a special Labour conference in London, Burnham pledged to bring back hope and lead for all nations of the UK. This victory comes after Keir Starmer's government collapsed in the polls. Starmer became the most unpopular prime minister since modern records began, and Labour suffered devastating losses in local elections last May, including losing Wales for the first time in over a century. Burnham emerged as the consensus choice partly because his main rivals declined to run: Angela Rayner was forced to resign over a tax issue, Ed Miliband chose not to contest the race, and Wes Streeting, from the party's right wing, saw no path to victory. As Mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham had rebuilt his reputation and demonstrated broad electoral appeal — most recently by winning a decisive byelection in a constituency that had been a top target for Reform UK.

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