Shafaqna English- Andy Burnham, popularly known as the ‘King of the North’, is set to take over as leader of the UK’s ruling Labour Party on Friday(17 Jul 2026), marking the final step before he becomes the country’s seventh prime minister in ten years, with a commitment to curb the growing influence of the populist party Reform UK.
Burnham, whose royal epithet stems from his determined stewardship as mayor of Greater Manchester to uphold the region’s needs, will be elected at a Friday ‘special conference’ after gaining massive backing from Labour MPs.
The conference is essentially a procedural requirement before he takes over from Keir Starmer on Monday, when the party will be anxious to see who he picks for his cabinet and how he intends to govern.