Andy Burnham Secures 322 Labour MP Nominations; 81 MPs Have Not Backed Any Candidate

Andy Burnham has received 322 nominations from Labour MPs, leaving only 81 who have not nominated any candidate. The Guardian reported that this total clears the threshold required to stand as the next Labour leader and prime minister. Burnham appealed to the left by stating that Labour “didn’t get it right” with its initial response to Israel’s assault on Gaza after the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023.

He added that Labour had to “do better” on the issue. Almost 80 Labour MPs signed a letter to Burnham criticizing immigration policies implemented by home secretary Shabana Mahmood. The letter objects to changes that extend the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain from five years to ten years as the norm, with some groups required to wait even longer.

It adds that MPs do not recall being asked on the doorstep to make it harder for migrant workers to settle in the UK and warns that a 10-20 year settlement period would make the UK an international outlier. The letter further states that the proposals would weaken communities, undermine strategies on child poverty, violence against women and girls, and homelessness, and would cost the state billions.