Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham may challenge unpopular British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The Labor leader won the House of Commons seat of the Makerfield constituency on Thursday with 54 percent of the votes.
With that seat he can claim the leadership of Labor and offer himself as an alternative to Starmer. He has not yet done so officially, but in his victory speech on the night from Thursday to Friday, Burnham presented the results of the local election as “a loud call for change”.
Burnham, nicknamed “King of the North”, had previously said that he would like to compete against Starmer if he won. In his speech he said that “politics is not functioning” and that “everyone feels that the country is not where it should be.”
‘Last chance’ for Labour
Speaking to his own Labor party, Burnham said this was a “last chance” to change course and that there would be “no second chances”. Under the British system, a prime minister can be overthrown by his own party and succeeded without having to hold a parliamentary election.
Burnham has been a Labor member since the age of 15 and made several attempts to become party leader and prime minister before becoming mayor of Manchester in 2017. Now that Starmer’s popularity ratings have plummeted, he has a good chance.
Starmer is widely criticized for unpopular cuts, persistent economic problems and the feeling among many voters that the promised changes are not being delivered.
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He is about to challenge Prime Minister Starmer. But first Mayor Andy Burnham must convince voters