Andy Burnham elected leader of Britain's Labour Party, to become UK PM on Monday; what will be his priorities?

Andy Burnham was confirmed as the new leader of the UK's ruling Labour Party on Friday, paving the way for him to assume office as prime minister next week, according to AP. The centre-left party declared the outcome of its leadership election to choose a successor to outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Burnham was the sole candidate in the contest and has listed out his priorities to work on.

His victory had long been expected after he received the backing of 379 out of Labour's 403 members of the House of Commons by Thursday evening, leaving him unopposed in the race.

In his first speech as Labour leader, Burnham vowed to restore optimism, declaring, “We’re going to give them hope back.” He also said, “This is a proud moment you have given me and my family today, and an emotional one, but it is one for which I am ready.”

Burnham is set to enter 10 Downing Street with relatively low national recognition, particularly among voters outside Manchester.

After securing a seat in Parliament through a special election last month, he pledged to build a politics “based on unity and hope” while working towards an economy that delivers growth more evenly across the country.

Andy Burnham's priorities

Outlining his priorities as the new Labour leader, Burnham said he would have the “courage to fix the big things that politics has neglected".

He said his agenda would centre on revitalising the economy, expanding public control over key sectors and generating new, modern industrial jobs. Burnham argued that Britain had taken “a series of wrong turns in the 1980s”, a period during which “political power was centralized and economic power privatised".

The 1980s marked the tenure of Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, whose policies of privatisation, deindustrialisation and political centralisation reshaped the UK economy.

“Slowly, at times imperceptibly, over four decades, political and economic power drained away out of our communities in every region and nation of the UK," Burnham said.

In a video shared on social media late Thursday, Burnham mentioned improving access to social care would be among his key priorities. He highlighted the challenges faced by elderly people, those with illnesses and individuals with disabilities, as demand for care services continues to rise amid the country's ageing population. The issue has remained a major challenge for successive Labour and Conservative governments.

Starmer announced last month that he would step down as prime minister after two years in office, following a series of political setbacks and decisions that damaged his reputation among both Labour members and the wider public.

Labour has consistently lagged behind the anti-immigration Reform UK party in opinion polls, while the governing party suffered a severe setback in May's local elections, intensifying calls for Starmer to resign.

Starmer will continue as prime minister until Monday, when he is expected to formally submit his resignation to King Charles III. The monarch will then invite Burnham to form the next government.

Under Britain's parliamentary system, a ruling party can replace its leader, and consequently the prime minister, without calling for a fresh general election. The next national poll is not required to take place until 2029.

The country has seen prime ministers change more frequently in recent years, with Burnham set to become the UK's seventh leader since 2016.