When could Andy Burnham become the prime minister?

By Emily Youlton, Senior Politics Producer

Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), has released a timetable for the election of a new party leader, which could mean a new prime minister is in place as early as next month.

Sir Keir Starmer resigned on Monday after mounting pressure to step down following Labour’s disastrous wipeout at the local elections in May.

Then, Andy Burnham returned to Westminster as an MP after winning more than half of the votes at the Makerfield by-election and announced his intention to stand as leader.

Currently, Burnham is the only person who has said he will stand for leadership after former Health Secretary Wes Streeting backed the former Manchester Mayor on Monday.

Cabinet minister Darren Jones was rumoured to be standing after Starmer loyalists pushed for a contest, but he ruled himself out and backed Burnham on Wednesday.

The former Armed Forces Minister, Al Carns is refusing to rule out standing against Burnham and has continued posting about a five-point plan for the UK on social media.

So, how quickly will the UK get a new leader of the Labour Party and therefore a new prime minister? ITV News explains.

Nomination period

Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) nominations will open on July 9, and close on July 15.

The PLP consists of all Labour MPs, and each candidate needs at least 20% of this group to support them to stand in a leadership contest, which is 81 MPs.

Technically, this can allow up to five candidates to be on the ballot, but Burnham likely has much more than the required numbers, so there will be fewer candidates, if any.

Once PLP nominations close, so-called “affiliate nominations” open for 24 hours between July 15 and July 16 – this is for groups like trade unions and organisations linked with Labour.

Andy Burnham was greeted by around 200 MPs after swearing in as an MP on Monday. / Credit: PA

Those standing must also receive backing from at least three affiliates, two of which must be trade unions.

There’s another option where the candidate can instead garner support from 5% of Constituency Labour Party (CLP) groups, essentially the local Labour teams.

But with Burnham, it is generally assumed he has the unions on his side, so it’s looking unlikely this will be needed.

Voting or a Coronation

The NEC has said that if there is only one candidate and they are “validly nominated” – meaning they have more than the 81 MPs and the unions onside – then a new leader will be announced on July 17.

This will be done via a special conference and means that if Burnham is the only candidate, he could be the leader and therefore the prime minister that same day.

Andy Burnham was sworn in as MP for Makerfield on Monday / Credit: PA

If someone else throws their hat in the ring and garners the support from within the party, then it would go to a vote.

The voting would be before members of the Labour party who have registered before December 25, 2025, and would run from August 6 to August 27.

It will be a single-round preferential voting system, where if one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the first round, they automatically win.

If they do not, then the preferences are counted until a candidate reaches the 50% threshold.

A winner would then be announced at a special conference on August 29, but it is looking increasingly unlikely.

What will Burnham as a leader mean?

Burnham is yet to announce any formal policy plans if he becomes prime minister, but is due to give a speech setting out his vision for the economy in Manchester on Monday.

Some MPs are concerned that they do not know what Burnham stands for and want a contest to ensure his ideas are tested.

Even if there is no contest, the NEC states that there will be a husting for MPs on July 13, where they can question candidates on their plans for the party and country.