London, July 18:
Andy Burnham was on Friday confirmed as the newly elected leader of the UK’s governing Labour Party, becoming the prime minister-designate to take charge at 10 Downing Street next week.
The 56-year-old member of Parliament for Makerfield in northern England, on track to become Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade, admitted that it was the “last chance” for Labour to deliver the change promised at the last general election in July 2024.“We are going to give people hope back,” said Burnham in his first speech as party leader.
“I am ready to lead, building on the foundations laid by Keir Starmer,” he said, thanking the outgoing leader for his “service to the country”.
Burnham, the sole candidate in the leadership race since Starmer announced his resignation last month, vowed to “set Britain on a new path” with a less toxic political climate and a greater shift away from centralised power at Westminster.“I will be a leader for every region and nation in this great country, and this party will be unashamedly Labour in our priorities and in the decisions we take,” he said.