Who is Andy Burnham? The Trump critic set to become the UK's next prime minister

Andy Burnham, the erstwhile Greater Manchester politician who has often criticized President Donald Trump, is poised to go the United Kingdom's adjacent premier curate aft emerging arsenic the lone campaigner to regenerate outgoing Labour person Keir Starmer.

Burnham, 56, received nominations from 322 of Labour’s 403 Members of Parliament connected the archetypal time of the enactment process, acold surpassing the 81 required to participate the contention and leaving imaginable rivals with virtually nary way to qualify. He is expected to beryllium formally confirmed arsenic Labour person Friday and appointed premier curate by King Charles III connected Monday, July 20, pursuing Starmer’s resignation.

Britain’s parliamentary strategy allows the governing enactment to regenerate its person — and truthful the premier curate — without holding a nationalist election. The adjacent nationwide predetermination does not person to beryllium held until 2029.

KEIR STARMER REPORTEDLY CONSIDERING STEPPING DOWN AS PM AND COULD ANNOUNCE TIMETABLE FOR DEPARTURE

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham of the Labour Party reacts aft being declared the victor successful the by-election astatine The Edge wherever votes were being counted connected June 19, 2026, successful Wigan, England. (Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images)

Burnham’s accelerated way to Downing Street is drafting disapproval from governmental opponents and foreign-policy analysts who accidental helium has not faced the scrutiny that would usually travel either a competitory enactment enactment contention oregon a general-election campaign.

"Andy Burnham is the slightest scrutinized incoming U.K. Prime Minister of caller times," Alan Mendoza, enforcement manager of the London-based Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital.

"He has faced neither a wide predetermination nor an interior enactment enactment statement successful bid to found his positions for wider consumption," Mendoza said. "He wasn’t adjacent a campaigner astatine the past General Election."

Burnham did, however, triumph 54.8% of the ballot successful June’s Makerfield parliamentary by-election, defeating Reform UK’s campaigner and returning to the House of Commons aft astir a decennary away. Before returning to Parliament, helium had been straight elected politician of Greater Manchester 3 times.

Reform UK person Nigel Farage argued successful a erstwhile interrogation with Fox News Digital that Burnham should question a caller nationalist mandate.

"The nationalist are bushed of the crippled of philharmonic chairs that’s been taking spot successful 10 Downing Street implicit the past decade," Farage said.

NIGEL FARAGE RESIGNING FROM UK PARLIAMENT

Reform UK person Nigel Farage speaks during a quality league successful Westminster, United Kingdom, June 10, 2025. (Thomas Krych/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"Mr. Burnham volition travel in, helium volition person nary mandate," helium added. "I don’t adjacent cognize what his policies are. Literally, I don’t. So I deliberation for each of those reasons, determination ought to beryllium a wide predetermination and a caller mandate."

Farage made the comments earlier resigning his parliamentary spot this period to trigger an Aug. 13 by-election successful Clacton, wherever helium plans to tally again. Farage said helium wanted voters to justice him amid parliamentary scrutiny implicit allegations involving gifts from affluent supporters. He has denied wrongdoing. Police are separately investigating donations made to Reform UK, but nary arrests person been announced.

Who is Andy Burnham?

Burnham grew up successful north-west England betwixt Liverpool and Manchester. The lad of a British Telecom technologist and a receptionist, helium joined the Labour Party arsenic a teenager, studied astatine Cambridge University and was archetypal elected to Parliament successful 2001, according to The Associated Press.

He roseate done Labour’s ranks during the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and served successful respective elder positions, including arsenic civilization caput and wellness secretary.

Burnham ran unsuccessfully for the Labour enactment successful 2010 and again successful 2015. He near Parliament successful 2017 aft winning predetermination arsenic politician of Greater Manchester, a determination presumption helium utilized to physique a nationalist governmental profile.

A British Union emblem flies from a souvenir stall adjacent the Houses of Parliament successful London, U.K., Oct. 27, 2025. (Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

As mayor, Burnham promoted greater determination power implicit proscription and nationalist services. His medication brought Greater Manchester’s fragmented autobus strategy nether nationalist power arsenic portion of the Bee Network, a determination proscription task that became 1 of his signature achievements.

He besides became intimately associated with the run for accountability implicit the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster, successful which 97 Liverpool shot fans were killed. Burnham supported victims’ families successful their long-running effort to exposure constabulary failures and rebut mendacious accusations primitively directed astatine supporters.

MEET 'COUNT BINFACE,' THE TRASH CAN-CLAD COMEDIAN CHALLENGING NIGEL FARAGE

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces the timeline for his resignation aft Andy Burnham's decisive triumph past week successful the Makerfield by-election extracurricular 10 Downing Street, successful London, Britain, June 22, 2026. (Reuters/Jack Taylor )

What has Andy Burnham said astir President Trump?

Burnham has repeatedly criticized President Donald Trump, accusing him of contributing to planetary instability portion informing that Britain risks importing the polarization of American politics. In a 2025 interrogation with The London Economic, Burnham compared Trump’s instrumentality to bureau to the turmoil caused successful Britain by erstwhile Prime Minister Liz Truss. 

"The instability that Liz Truss brought to Britain, I deliberation Trump is bringing to the U.S. and the world," Burnham said, successful the interview. He besides described respective of Trump’s decisions, including his attack to the Russia-Ukraine war, arsenic "out of order."

President Trump and King Charles shared a laughter extracurricular the White House up of a authorities dinner. (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)

Burnham’s disapproval of Trump dates backmost to the president’s archetypal predetermination successful 2016. After Trump’s victory, Burnham described immoderate of his rhetoric arsenic "deeply troubling," but argued that politicians connected the near should analyse wherefore working-class voters had turned to him alternatively than simply blaming the electorate. "We person to look person to home," Burnham said, according to The Guardian.

His connection became sharper pursuing the Jan. 6, 2021, riot astatine the U.S. Capitol. As the onslaught unfolded, Burnham wrote connected X that "any UK person who gave Trump the clip of time should beryllium ashamed close now". More recently, during his Makerfield parliamentary campaign, Burnham warned that Britain was moving toward "the authorities of the United States of America," which helium described arsenic "a polarized, poisonous authorities wherever radical successful communities don’t enactment unneurotic anymore."

KING CHARLES FOLLOWS QUEEN ELIZABETH'S PLAYBOOK WITH A TWIST DURING TRUMP STATE VISIT: EXPERT

Despite those attacks, Burnham has stopped abbreviated of advocating a rupture with Washington. According to TIME, helium supported Starmer’s effort to support a moving narration with Trump, portion arguing that Britain indispensable beryllium prepared to disagree with the United States. "Obviously, the narration is important to the U.K., but not to the constituent wherever we conscionable spell on with thing they say," Burnham said. 

Trump has already responded dismissively to the apt incoming British leader. Asked successful June what helium knew astir Burnham, Trump said, "I don’t know, I deliberation I spot that helium was, I guess, the politician of a town." Trump added that helium had heard Burnham was "extremely liberal" and suggested that helium would reason expanded North Sea lipid drilling, earlier declaring that "the UK is dying," according ton Reuters.

What are Andy Burnham’s governmental views?

Burnham is mostly regarded arsenic being to the near of Starmer. He has said helium wants to instrumentality what helium calls "Manchesterism" nationwide, describing an attack that places "people and spot earlier party" and transfers greater attraction and authorization from London to regions that person historically received little investment.

He has emphasized infrastructure, housing, proscription and determination economical development, portion arguing against what helium calls "trickle-down economics." The Associated Press reported that his priorities person besides included vocational education, younker employment, little vigor bills and cheaper obstruction travel.

Mendoza said that Burnham’s past positions and caller statements suggest helium would determination the British authorities further to the left.

"What we tin beryllium definite of is that helium volition beryllium looking to enforce a reasonably extremist left-wing docket for the state based connected his past beliefs and caller pronouncements," Mendoza said.

"In nary peculiar order, these see instauration of wealthiness taxes, changes to the electoral system, a immense enlargement of societal lodging and attacks connected hitherto allies of the U.K. similar Israel."

FROM LONDON SYNAGOGUES TO NEW YORK PRESCHOOLS — ANTISEMITIC ATTACKS ESCALATING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC

Pro-Palestinian protesters clasp a banner and chant astatine at anti-Israel protestation successful London Dec. 9 2023., (Andy Soloman/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Burnham has sought to antagonistic concerns astir his constricted caller national-security experience. 

He has pledged continuity successful Britain’s commitments to NATO, its atomic deterrent, the United States and Ukraine, according to the Associated Press. 

He has besides called for Britain to rebuild its subject capabilities and home defence manufacture successful effect to what helium described arsenic an progressively unsafe planetary environment.

On the warfare successful Gaza, Burnham has criticized Labour’s earlier effect and argued that the enactment was excessively dilatory to telephone for a ceasefire. The Associated Press reported that helium has raised the anticipation of further sanctions and commercialized restrictions involving goods linked to Israeli settlements. Burnham has besides condemned Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, violent onslaught against Israel.

Burnham has not served successful Britain’s nationalist authorities since 2010 and spent astir a decennary extracurricular Parliament, meaning his grounds is acold much developed connected home and determination argumentation than connected existent foreign-policy and national-security questions.

When could Britain clasp a wide election?

Burnham would not beryllium required to telephone an contiguous wide election. Labour won a ample parliamentary bulk nether Starmer successful July 2024, allowing the enactment to stay successful powerfulness until 2029 unless Burnham decides to question an earlier mandate.

Mendoza predicted that Burnham could effort to capitalize connected the momentum surrounding his accomplishment astatine Downing Street.

"As helium is ne'er likelier to beryllium much fashionable than connected time 1 of his Premiership, we should besides beryllium connected the ticker for his calling of an aboriginal General Election successful bid to capitalize connected this unsocial moment," Mendoza said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Britain's Labour Party campaigner Andy Burnham speaks to supporters aft the Makerfield by-election successful Ashton successful Makerfield, England, June 19, 2026. (Jon Super/AP)

Burnham would inherit an system facing anemic growth, unit connected nationalist finances, strained wellness and payment services and continuing interest implicit the outgo of living.

He would besides go Britain’s seventh premier curate successful conscionable implicit a decade, reflecting the accelerated governmental turnover astatine Downing Street since the country’s 2016 ballot to permission the European Union.