What does Andy Burnham stand for?

Newly-elected Labour MP Andy Burnham has made no secret of his ambitions to become the next UK prime minister. Now, it looks as though his time has come.Keir Starmer’s announcement on Monday morning that he is to step down as prime minister paves the way for a leadership contest in the Labour Party, with the leadership of the country the automatic prize.Starmer has said he would stay on until September but unless a strong candidate emerges to go up against Burnham, the new occupant of Number 10 Downing Street could be named as early as mid-July.Where did it go so wrong for Starmer and so right for Burnham? His nickname is the King of the North, but he’s also been called Captain Flipflop, so what does Burnham stand for?And why is Britain’s political system so unstable that the country is now facing into its seventh prime minister in just 10 years.Irish Times London editor Mark Paul was at Downing Street on Monday as Starmer stood at the much-used podium, bowed to the inevitable and made his sometimes emotional announcement.He explains what led to this moment and what will happen next.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 24, 2026

What this episode covers

Newly-elected Labour MP Andy Burnham has made no secret of his ambitions to become the next UK prime minister. Now, it looks as though his time has come.Keir Starmer’s announcement on Monday morning that he is to step down as prime minister paves the way for a leadership contest in the Labour Party, with the leadership of the country the automatic prize.Starmer has said he would stay on until September but unless a strong candidate emerges to go up against Burnham, the new occupant of Number 10 Downing Street could be named as early as mid-July.Where did it go so wrong for Starmer and so right for Burnham? His nickname is the King of the North, but he’s also been called Captain Flipflop, so what does Burnham stand for?And why is Britain’s political system so unstable that the country is now facing into its seventh prime minister in just 10 years.Irish Times London editor Mark Paul was at Downing Street on Monday as Starmer stood at the much-used podium, bowed to the inevitable and made his sometimes emotional announcement.He explains what led to this moment and what will happen next.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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