Andy Burnham

Andrew Murray Burnham is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Makerfield since June 2026. A member of the Labour and Co-operative Party, he was Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 to 2026. From 2001 to 2017 he was MP for Leigh and held several cabinet positions, lastly Secretary of State for Health from 2009 to 2010 under Gordon Brown. Burnham identifies as a socialist associated with Labour's soft-left movement, and his political ideology is often described as "Manchesterism." Burnham is currently the only candidate running to be Labour leader and so is expected to become prime minister in July 2026.