Andy Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor who has frequently criticized President Donald Trump, is poised to become the United Kingdom’s next prime minister after emerging as the only candidate to replace outgoing Labour leader Keir Starmer.

Burnham, 56, was formally confirmed as the ruling Labour Party’s leader on Friday and will be appointed prime minister by King Charles III next week.

Britain’s parliamentary system allows the governing party to replace its leader — and therefore the prime minister — without holding a national election. The next nationwide election does not have to be held until 2029.

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Burnham’s rapid path to Downing Street is drawing criticism from political opponents and foreign policy analysts who say he has not faced the scrutiny that would normally accompany either a competitive party leadership race or a general election campaign.

“Andy Burnham is the least scrutinized incoming U.K. Prime Minister of recent times,” Alan Mendoza, executive director of the London-based Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital.

“He has faced neither a general election nor an internal party leadership debate in order to establish his positions for wider consumption,” Mendoza said. “He wasn’t even a candidate at the last general election.”

Burnham did, however, win 54.8% of the vote in June’s Makerfield parliamentary by-election, defeating Reform UK’s candidate and returning to the House of Commons after nearly a decade away. Before returning to Parliament, he had been directly elected mayor of Greater Manchester three times.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage argued in a previous interview with Fox News Digital that Burnham should seek a new national mandate.

“The public are tired of the game of musical chairs that’s been taking place in 10 Downing Street over the last decade,” Farage said.

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“Mr. Burnham will come in, he will have no mandate,” he added. “I don’t even know what his policies are. Literally, I don’t. So, I think for all of those reasons, there ought to be a general election and a fresh mandate.”

Farage made the comments before resigning his parliamentary seat this month to trigger an Aug. 13 by-election in Clacton, where he plans to run again. Farage said he wanted voters to judge him amid parliamentary scrutiny over allegations involving gifts from wealthy supporters. He has denied wrongdoing. Police are separately investigating donations made to Reform UK, but no arrests have been announced.

Who is Andy Burnham?

Burnham grew up in north-west England between Liverpool and Manchester. The son of a British Telecom engineer and a receptionist, he joined the Labour Party as a teenager, studied at Cambridge University and was first elected to Parliament in 2001, according to The Associated Press.

He rose through Labour’s ranks during the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and served in several senior positions, including as culture secretary and health secretary.

Burnham ran unsuccessfully for the Labour leadership in 2010 and again in 2015. He left Parliament in 2017 after winning election as mayor of Greater Manchester, a regional position he used to build a national political profile.

As mayor, Burnham promoted greater regional control over transportation and public services. His administration brought Greater Manchester’s fragmented bus system under public control as part of the Bee Network, a regional transportation project that became one of his signature achievements.

He also became closely associated with the campaign for accountability over the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster, in which 97 Liverpool soccer fans were killed. Burnham supported victims’ families in their long-running effort to expose police failures and rebut false accusations originally directed at supporters.

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What has Andy Burnham said about President Trump?

Burnham has repeatedly criticized President Donald Trump, accusing him of contributing to global instability while warning that Britain risks importing the polarization of American politics. In a 2025 interview with The London Economic, Burnham compared Trump’s return to office to the turmoil caused in Britain by former Prime Minister Liz Truss. 

“The instability that Liz Truss brought to Britain, I think Trump is bringing to the U.S. and the world,” Burnham said in the interview. He also described several of Trump’s decisions, including his approach to the Russia-Ukraine war, as “out of order.”

Burnham’s criticism of Trump dates back to the president’s first election in 2016. After Trump’s victory, Burnham described some of his rhetoric as “deeply troubling” but argued that politicians on the left should examine why working-class voters had turned to him rather than simply blaming the electorate. 

“We have to look closer to home,” Burnham said, according to The Guardian.

His language became sharper following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. As the attack unfolded, Burnham wrote on X that “any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now.”

More recently, during his Makerfield parliamentary campaign, Burnham warned that Britain was moving toward “the politics of the United States of America,” which he described as “a polarized, poisonous politics where people in communities don’t work together anymore.”

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Despite those attacks, Burnham has stopped short of advocating a rupture with Washington. According to Time, he supported Starmer’s effort to maintain a working relationship with Trump, while arguing that Britain must be prepared to disagree with the United States. 

“Obviously, the relationship is important to the U.K., but not to the point where we just go along with anything they say,” Burnham said. 

Trump has already responded dismissively to the likely incoming British leader. Asked in June what he knew about Burnham, Trump said, “I don’t know, I think I see that he was, I guess, the mayor of a town.” Trump added that he had heard Burnham was “extremely liberal” and suggested that he would oppose expanded North Sea oil drilling, before declaring that “the U.K. is dying,” according ton Reuters.

What are Andy Burnham’s political views?

Burnham is generally regarded as being to the left of Starmer. He has said he wants to take what he calls “Manchesterism” nationwide, describing an approach that places “people and place before party” and transfers greater attention and authority from London to regions that have historically received less investment.

He has emphasized infrastructure, housing, transportation and regional economic development, while arguing against what he calls “trickle-down economics.” The Associated Press reported that his priorities have also included vocational education, youth employment, lower energy bills and cheaper rail travel.

Mendoza said that Burnham’s past positions and recent statements suggest he would move the British government further to the left.

“What we can be certain of is that he will be looking to impose a fairly radical left-wing agenda for the country based on his past beliefs and recent pronouncements,” Mendoza said.

“In no particular order, these include introduction of wealth taxes, changes to the electoral system, a vast expansion of social housing and attacks on hitherto allies of the U.K. like Israel.”

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Burnham has sought to counter concerns about his limited recent national security experience. 

He has pledged continuity in Britain’s commitments to NATO, its nuclear deterrent, the United States and Ukraine, according to The Associated Press. 

He has also called for Britain to rebuild its military capabilities and domestic defense industry in response to what he described as an increasingly dangerous international environment.

On the war in Gaza, Burnham has criticized Labour’s earlier response and argued that the party was too slow to call for a ceasefire. The Associated Press reported that he has raised the possibility of additional sanctions and trade restrictions involving goods linked to Israeli settlements. Burnham has also condemned Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack against Israel.

Burnham has not served in Britain’s national government since 2010 and spent almost a decade outside Parliament, meaning his record is far more developed on domestic and regional policy than on current foreign policy and national security questions.

When could Britain hold a general election?

Burnham would not be required to call an immediate general election. Labour won a large parliamentary majority under Starmer in July 2024, allowing the party to remain in power until 2029 unless Burnham decides to seek an earlier mandate.

Mendoza predicted that Burnham could attempt to capitalize on the momentum surrounding his arrival at Downing Street.

“As he is never likelier to be more popular than on day one of his premiership, we should also be on the watch for his calling of an early general election in order to capitalize on this unique moment,” Mendoza said.

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Burnham would inherit an economy facing weak growth, pressure on public finances, strained health and welfare services and continuing concern over the cost of living.

He would also become Britain’s seventh prime minister in just over a decade, reflecting the rapid political turnover at Downing Street since the country’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union.

Johannesburg, South Africa – Nelson Mandela Day has become the backdrop for a wider debate in South Africa over the values the former president represented, as the country grapples with inequality, economic frustration and growing divisions over how to address social problems.

That debate has been sharpened this year by the decision of March and March, a coalition of anti-immigration activists that has organised protests across South Africa in recent months, to use Mandela Day activities to inspect businesses in towns across the Eastern Cape, Mandela’s home province, and identify undocumented workers and businesses they allege are operating illegally.

The move has drawn condemnation from the Nelson Mandela Foundation, which says using Mandela Day to target migrants undermines the principles of dialogue, constitutionalism and human dignity that shaped Mandela’s public life.

Instead of dedicating Mandela Day’s traditional 67 minutes to community service, March and March says it will use the occasion to physically remove undocumented immigrants from towns and workplaces.

The group argues that the government has failed to secure the country’s borders, enforce immigration laws and prioritise job opportunities for South Africans.

Nelson Mandela International Day, marked July 18, was established by the United Nations in 2009. The 67 minutes of service are a tribute to the 67 years Mandela devoted to public life and the struggle for justice.

Mbongiseni Buthelezi, chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, told Al Jazeera that groups using the occasion to target immigrants were turning a day of service into one of division.

“What we do see now is something that is quite divisive and quite unhelpful, and it is something that we absolutely condemn,” he said. “We have seen some groups saying they are going to use Mandela Day to rid cities of immigrants. We condemn that unequivocally. That is unacceptable.”

A country under pressure

The dispute comes as South Africa faces intense economic pressure, including high unemployment, inequality and frustration over public services.

March and March argues that undocumented migrants contribute to job competition and place pressure on communities already struggling with limited opportunities. The movement has called for tighter border controls and stronger enforcement of immigration laws.

Critics say migrants have become a focus for anger over wider government failures.

Buthelezi said South Africa’s economic and social challenges should not be blamed on migrants.

“We are living through a very difficult moment where many opportunistic actors are seizing upon the very real grievances that many people have about the failings of the state,” he said. “But we need to separate those two things. The failings of the state are not the responsibility of immigrants in South Africa.”

The government has condemned xenophobia while increasing immigration enforcement. Officials say more than 53,000 foreign nationals have been deported or repatriated since a nationwide migration operation began, mainly to neighbouring countries including Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique.

Authorities have also warned communities not to take the law into their own hands, but anti-migrant groups have continued organising their own campaigns.

The African National Congress (ANC) Veterans’ League president, Snuki Zikalala, who served alongside Mandela, said the former president would never have condoned the targeting of African migrants.

“Not in Mandela’s name. People must not use Mandela’s name. We cannot chase people out of South Africa as if they are animals. They are human beings,” he said.

Zikalala said the ANC, the party Mandela led until 1997, bore some responsibility for failing to remain active in communities and allowing poor leadership to take hold. The party has seen a huge decline in support and is currently governing the country through a multi-party coalition.

“It’s disappointing that we didn’t do our work as the ANC to sensitise citizens but also government for allowing porous borders.”

He said the ANC believed March and March was a group being used to destabilise the country.

The organisation’s leaders have repeatedly rejected those allegations, saying their campaign is solely focused on putting South Africans first.

Who owns Mandela’s legacy?

The controversy has revived a broader debate over how Mandela is remembered and used in today’s South Africa.

Neeshan Bolton, executive director of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, told Al Jazeera that Mandela’s identity as a liberation leader has increasingly been overshadowed by a simpler image focused on community service.

“What we’ve seen over the years is the distortion of what Mandela meant for this country,” Bolton said. “His identity as a liberation fighter has gradually been stripped away and replaced by something that can be used for any and all acts of service.”

Bolton said Mandela’s name is often invoked by groups with competing political positions.

This year’s Mandela Day theme, “It is still in our hands to combat poverty and inequity,”  comes as South Africa continues to wrestle with questions about inequality, belonging and responsibility.

For the Nelson Mandela Foundation, using Mandela’s name to justify targeting migrants contradicts the principles he fought for. For March and March, the campaign reflects frustration with a government they believe has failed to act.

As Bolton warned: “Everybody has been able to claim him and interpret him in a way that suited them.”