Burnham in sight of Downing Street wins top UK union support

AFP -- Andy Burnham was on Tuesday striding towards becoming the UK’s next prime minister, winning the backing of the country’s largest union, adding to an already unassailable lead in Labour’s leadership contest.

The former Manchester mayor, so far the only candidate to be the party’s new leader, had notched up 349 nominations from fellow MPs late on Monday — making it mathematically impossible for any challenger to defeat him.

The 56-year-old is bidding to replace Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation last month, bowing to months of internal pressure to step down after a series of scandals, missteps and policy U-turns in his two-year tenure.

The Unison trade union, the largest in Britain with more than 1.3 million members, said on Tuesday it was throwing its weight behind Burnham.

“He has a tough task ahead, but he is a strong, powerful voice who commands respect,” said Unison chairwoman Linda Hobson.

Centre-left Labour has 403 MPs in the lower house of the UK parliament, giving it a commanding majority in the 650-seat House of Commons. Its new leader will therefore become the next prime minister.

The nominations from MPs will close on Wednesday evening, and will be followed by a 24-hour vote from other groups affiliated to the party, including other unions, which ends at 6pm (10pm PKT) on Thursday.

A special leadership conference is to be held on Friday to crown Labour’s new leader, but details have so far been kept under wraps.

Burnham would then replace Starmer, earning the keys to 10 Downing Street on Monday, shortly after meeting King Charles III to be asked to form the next government.

He will become Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade.

Burnham has said he is “deeply grateful” for the across-the-party support from Labour MPs “who have put their trust in me”.

“That is the circuit breaker I am offering: power out of Westminster, an economy rewired for ordinary people, and good growth in every postcode.”