In The Room | Why Andy Burnham might not be ready for No 10

WorldPolitics
24 Jun 2026 • 2:50 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

In The Room | Why Andy Burnham might not be ready for No 10

Andy Burnham’s camp is caught between euphoria and fear. After his victory in the Makerfield by-election and Keir Starmer’s resignation, the path to No 10 appears to have opened up for the former Manchester mayor.

On what would be his third attempt at the Labour leadership, Burnham could be prime minister by mid-July – and the UK’s seventh in ten years. But with the clock already ticking, is his team prepared for power?

Helen MacNamara and Cleo Watson assess the mood inside Burnham’s camp, the mistakes he must avoid repeating from the Starmer years, and why greater urgency and ruthlessness will be needed if he is to govern successfully.

New episodes of In The Room drop every week. Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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