For a while, any talk of Sir Keir Starmer stepping down as Prime Minister was tempered by one issue – there was no obvious candidate to succeed him.
At around 3.15am last Friday, that all changed. Andy Burnham, by many accounts the most popular politician in the country, won the Makerfield by-election and secured a seat in Parliament.
And the former Mayor of Greater Manchester didn’t just win it. He crushed the Reform candidate by more than 9,000 votes, thus demonstrating to Labour Party colleagues that he can take on Nigel Farage and win.
His victory was so resounding, Starmer reversed his previous commitment to stand in any leadership contest. This morning, he resigned.
Burnham is all but certain to replace him at No 10, possibly within a few weeks. His biggest would-be rival, former Health Secretary Wes Streeting, instead announced he was lending support after today’s speech.
The new Makerfield MP has two failed leadership bids behind him – will it be third time lucky?
Here, we explain all you need to know about the so-called King of the North, and his bid for the premiership.
Burnham was born in Aintree, Lancashire, the son of a telephone engineer and a receptionist.
When his dad got a new job in Manchester soon after he was born, the family moved to the town of Culcheth, north-east of Warrington.
This is where he grew up – less than 20 minutes’ drive from the constituency of Makerfield, which he now represents in Parliament.
He was educated at a Catholic school before studying English at the University of Cambridge.
The former altar boy has previously described himself as ‘Catholic by upbringing’, and the Church has had a strong influence on his politics, though he also says he is ‘not particularly religious’.