Andy Burnham Secures Labour Leadership With 349 MP Nominations, but Unite Ties Support to Policy Demands

Andy Burnham secured the Labour leadership after receiving nominations from 349 of the party's MPs, a total that makes it impossible for any rival to stand against him. Eight of the 11 unions affiliated to Labour have also confirmed they will nominate him. The TSSA transport union joined ASLEF, Community, GMB and Unison, which announced their support on Tuesday.

The Fire Brigades Union, Unite and Usdaw had already endorsed him earlier. The nomination window opens this evening and will remain open for 24 hours. Burnham is scheduled to be presented as Sir Keir Starmer's successor on Friday and to enter Downing Street three days after that.

Unite said its future support would depend on specific policy steps, including a wealth tax, unfreezing tax thresholds and changes to borrowing rules to fund investment. The union also called for the net-zero transition to avoid job losses in the oil sector. Labour declared £1.4 million in donations from seven unions in the first three months of the year.

The party received £4.9 million in affiliation fees during 2024.