Andy Burnham, a Member of Parliament for the ruling Labour Party, was confirmed as the successor to Prime Minister Keir Starmer after taking office as the new party leader on July 17 (local time).

The Labour Party announced that it held a special party convention on this day and officially elected Burnham, who was the sole candidate registered for the leadership race, as its new leader.

He is scheduled to take office as Prime Minister this coming Monday, July 20.

It is expected that Prime Minister Starmer will first meet with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace to formally report his resignation, after which the King will invite Burnham to the palace to request that he form a new government.

With this, Burnham will make a high-speed entry into 10 Downing Street just one month after returning to the House of Commons following his victory in a by-election held on June 18.

The 56-year-old Burnham is considered a moderate leftist within the party and has been a vocal advocate for decentralization and balanced regional development.

In his inaugural address, Burnham stated, "Since the 1980s, we have taken a wrong turn where political power has become centralized and economic power has been privatized." He pledged to pursue a vision of governance that promotes growth in "every postcode" and returns power to local communities.

"We must give the people hope that we will make this country the best," he emphasized. "We will be a government with the courage to solve the big problems that the political establishment has ignored, and the conviction to stand by our plans."

As party leader, he also vowed to realize a "Distinctively Labour" vision, stating, "We will be a Labour Party we can be proud of, and we will put people and places at the heart of everything we do." He added that this includes "economic reform, greater public control, re-industrialization, and returning power to local communities."

This shift appears to take into account the backlash from the left wing of the Labour Party under the Starmer administration—which emphasized centrist pragmatism—over concerns that the party had lost public support by failing to present a firm vision and losing its unique identity.

During his 17 years as a Member of Parliament, Burnham served as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Secretary of State for Health, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and held junior ministerial roles in the Home Office and the Department of Health under the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown governments.

After leaving national politics in 2017 to become the Mayor of Greater Manchester, he earned the nickname "King of the North" by successfully serving three terms, gaining recognition for his administrative abilities in promoting regional economic development and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Burnham has particularly advocated for "Manchesterism," the idea that powers affecting daily life—such as housing, public infrastructure, transport, and education—should be devolved to local authorities to pursue economic development tailored to each region.

He has proposed the establishment of "No. 10 North," a second Prime Minister's office in Manchester, to efficiently coordinate work with local governments.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)