LONDON, July 10. /Dunyo IA/. Former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s bid for the leadership of the Labour Party has already been backed by 322 out of 403 Labour MPs, bringing him closer to becoming the next prime minister of the United Kingdom, reports Dunyo IA correspondent, citing the BBC.

Andy Burnham remains the only officially declared candidate after nominations opened. He needs the support of just one more MP to make it mathematically impossible for any rival candidate to enter the race. Some lawmakers said they were unable to vote on July 9 but would support Burnham once they return to Parliament.

If, as expected, no other candidates enter the contest, Andy Burnham will be officially declared Labour leader next week and will take office as UK prime minister on July 20.

In a statement, the leading candidate thanked MPs for their support and said the backing came from representatives across different wings of the party, reflecting a “shared belief that Britain needs a new approach to politics.”

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

Burnham served as mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017. Before that, he represented the Leigh constituency in the House of Commons and held several government positions, including culture secretary, health secretary, and chief secretary to the Treasury. He previously ran for Labour leadership twice, in 2010 and 2015.

Andy Burnham’s rise in political influence followed his victory in a by-election in the Makerfield constituency. Amid significant Labour losses in May’s local elections, pressure grew on Keir Starmer from within the party to step aside and allow Burnham to replace him.

It should be recalled that Keir Starmer announced his resignation as Labour leader on the same day Burnham was sworn in as an MP, saying he had received an answer to the question of whether he was the best person to lead the party into the next general election.

Candidates have until July 15 to secure the backing of at least 81 Labour MPs in order to take part in the leadership contest. In addition, Burnham must receive support from at least three of the 31 affiliated socialist societies and trade unions, which is expected to be a formality.

On Wednesday, former Defence Minister Al Carns, who had been considering entering the race, ruled himself out, effectively clearing the way for Burnham to win the leadership without a contest.