322 Labour MPs back Andy Burnham, leaving no room for rival candidates

Three hundred twenty-two Labour MPs have nominated Andy Burnham as their next leader, leaving him one short of the total that would make any challenge mathematically impossible. With Burnham the only declared candidate, he is expected to be declared leader next week and to take office as prime minister on 20 July.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, whose Wigan constituency borders Burnham's Makerfield seat, told BBC Radio 4 that a leadership contest was unnecessary.

She backed Burnham's plan to establish a No 10 north in Manchester and said the new government would act more quickly than its predecessor. "I think there will be two things that will be different under Andy Burnham," Nandy said on the Today programme.

" Nandy, who ran for the leadership in 2020 and lost to Sir Keir Starmer, said she had not been told whether she would remain culture secretary or be offered another post.

She noted that Burnham had not offered jobs to anyone in the current cabinet. Burnham outlined his vision for the party in a speech at the People's History Museum in Manchester last Monday. Nandy said an overwhelming number of MPs had endorsed that direction.