Who is Marie-France van Heel? Andy Burnham’s wife spotted at new Labour leader’s speech

• Former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has been crowned the new leader of the Labour Party.
• His wife, Marie-France van Heel, watched Burnham deliver his speech during the party’s special general conference, in which he declared he is “ready to lead” the country.
• Van Heel, 56, first met Burnham during their studies at Cambridge University, and has largely remained out of the spotlight despite her husband’s political career.
• Born in Holland and raised in Belgium, van Heel works in marketing, having previously launched her own company, MVH Marketing, in 2008.
• The couple have three children together – Jimmy, Rosie and Annie – and van Heel currently works for the electrical vehicle charging network Be.EV.

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