Andy Burnham | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Burnham in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mayor of Greater Manchester | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 8 May 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Preceded by | Tony Lloyd (interim) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of Parliament forLeigh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 7 June 2001 – 3 May 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Lawrence Cunliffe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jo Platt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Andrew Murray Burnham (1970-01-07)7 January 1970 (age 55) Aintree,Lancashire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Labour Party Co-operative Party | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | St Aelred's Catholic High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge (BA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | King in the North | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Andrew Murray Burnham (born 7 January 1970) is a British politician who has served asMayor of Greater Manchester since2017. He served inGordon Brown'sCabinet asChief Secretary to the Treasury from 2007 to 2008,Culture Secretary from 2008 to 2009 andHealth Secretary from 2009 to 2010. A member of theLabour Party and theCo-operative Party (Labour Co-op), Burnham identifies as asocialist and as belonging to the party'ssoft left. He once identified as being on theBlairite wing of the party. He served asShadow Home Secretary from 2015 to 2016 and wasMember of Parliament (MP) forLeigh from 2001 to 2017.
Born in theOld Roan area ofAintree, Burnham attendedSt Aelred's Catholic High School inNewton-le-Willows. He took aBA inEnglish fromFitzwilliam College,Cambridge. He worked as a researcher forTessa Jowell from 1994 to 1997, then worked for theNHS Confederation in 1997 and as an administrator for the Football Task Force in 1998. He was aspecial adviser toCulture SecretaryChris Smith from 1998 to 2001. Following the retirement ofLawrence Cunliffe, the Labour MP for Leigh, Burnham was elected to succeed him in2001.
Burnham served as aParliamentary Private Secretary from 2003 to 2005. He was promoted by Prime MinisterTony Blair to serve inhis government after the2005 election asUnder-Secretary of State for the Home Department. In 2006, Burnham was reshuffled to becomeMinister of Statefor Health. WhenGordon Brown became Prime Minister in 2007, Burnham was promoted to theCabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, a position he held until 2008, when he becameSecretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. In 2009, he was promoted again to become Health Secretary. In that role, he responded to theswine flu pandemic, opposed further privatisation ofNational Health Service services and launched an independent inquiry into theStafford Hospital scandal. Following the Labour Party's defeat in the2010 general election, Burnham was a candidate in the2010 Labour leadership election, coming fourth out of five candidates. The contest was won byEd Miliband. Burnham served asShadow Secretary of State for Health until late 2010, when he was moved by Miliband to becomeShadow Secretary of State for Education. He held that role for a year, then returning to the role of Shadow Health Secretary.
Following Miliband's resignation as Labour leader due to the2015 general election defeat, Burnham launchedhis campaign to succeed Miliband in the resultingSeptember 2015 leadership election. He finished a distant second behindJeremy Corbyn, after which he accepted a role inCorbyn's shadow cabinet asShadow Home Secretary. After being selected as Labour's candidate for the newGreater Manchester Mayoralty, Burnham stood down as Shadow Home Secretary in 2016 and as an MP at the2017 general election. Burnham won the2017 mayoral election, was re-elected inthe delayed election held in May 2021, and elected for a third time in the2024 election.
As Mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham has implemented reforms to public transport, taking buses back intolocal control and bringing them, along with trams, into an integratedLondon-style transport system – theBee Network. Manchester has boomed during his mayoralty, with the city's economy growing faster than any major UK city outside of London, at an average of 2% a year.[1] For his role campaigning to secure morefurlough funding for Northern communities during theCOVID-19 pandemic, he was dubbedKing of the North by both the media and Northerners – even outside Greater Manchester – a title which, despite being used sarcastically at first, has grown into a term of endearment.[2][3][4][5]
Andrew Murray Burnham was born on 7 January 1970 inAintree,Lancashire (now part ofMerseyside).[6][7] His father, Kenneth Roy Burnham, was a telephone engineer and his mother, Eileen Mary Burnham, was a receptionist.[6] He was brought up inCulcheth and educated at St Lewis Catholic Primary School andSt Aelred's Roman Catholic High School, in Newton le Willows,St Helens. He studied English at theUniversity of Cambridge as an undergraduate student ofFitzwilliam College, Cambridge.[8] He had described himself as "Catholic by upbringing" but "not particularly religious", adding: "Catholic social teaching underpins my politics, we did have to read thecatechism at school but it is powerful and strong and right".[9]
Burnham joined the Labour Party when he was 15.[10] From 1994 until the1997 general election he was a researcher forTessa Jowell.[6] He joined theTransport and General Workers' Union in 1995. Following the 1997 election, he was aparliamentary officer for theNHS Confederation from August to December 1997, before taking up the post as an administrator with the Football Task Force for a year.[6][11]
In 1998, he became aspecial adviser to theSecretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport,Chris Smith, a position he remained in until he was elected to theHouse of Commons in2001.
Following the retirement ofLawrence Cunliffe, Burnham successfully applied to be the parliamentary candidate forLeigh in Greater Manchester, then a safe Labour seat. At the2001 election he was elected with a majority of 16,362, and gave hismaiden speech in the House of Commons on 4 July 2001.[12]
Following his election to Parliament, Burnham was a member of theHealth Select Committee from 2001 until 2003, when he was appointedParliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to theHome SecretaryDavid Blunkett. Following Blunkett's first resignation in 2004, he became PPS to theeducation secretaryRuth Kelly. Burnham voted for theIraq War, and consistently voted against holding an inquiry into the war.[13]
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Following the2005 election Burnham was promoted to serve in the Government as aParliamentary Under Secretary of State, with responsibility for implementing theIdentity Cards Act 2006. In the government reshuffle of 5 May 2006, he was moved from theHome Office and promoted toMinister of State for Delivery and Reform at theDepartment of Health.[14] InGordon Brown's first cabinet, announced on 28 June 2007, Burnham was appointedChief Secretary to the Treasury, a position he held until 2008. During his time at the Treasury, he helped write the2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.[15]
In a re-shuffle in January 2008, Burnham was promoted to the position ofSecretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, replacingJames Purnell.[16] In June 2008, he apologised to the director of pressure groupLiberty,Shami Chakrabarti, after she threatened to sue him for libel for smearing her reputation in an article Burnham had written forProgress magazine.[17]
In late 2008, Burnham announced government plans to tighten controls on internet content in order to "even up" what he described as an imbalance with TV regulations.[18][19][20] The announcement was followed by a speech to the music industry's lobbying group, UK Music, in which he announced "a time that calls for partnership between Government and the music business as a whole: one with rewards for both of us; one with rewards for society as a whole. (...) My job – Government's job – is to preserve the value in the system."[21]
In April 2009, after being heckled at the 20th anniversary of theHillsborough disaster, Burnham used the next day's cabinet meeting in Downing Street to ask then prime ministerGordon Brown if he could raise the issue of Hillsborough in Parliament, and Brown agreed.[22] The eventual result was thesecond Hillsborough inquiry. In 2014, when Burnham spoke at the 25th anniversary of theHillsborough disaster, he was cheered and applauded by the crowd.[23]
In June 2009, Burnham was again promoted, becomingSecretary of State for Health. He held the post until the Labour government resigned following the 2010 general election.
In July 2009, a month after he became health secretary, Burnham launched an independent inquiry chaired by the QCRobert Francis intounusually high mortality rates at Stafford Hospital.[24] The inquiry found systematic failures at the hospital, and was critical of care provided by theMid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.[25][26] A widerpublic inquiry, also led by Robert Francis, was launched in 2010 by his successor as health secretary,Andrew Lansley. It found serious failings at the hospital but concluded it would be "misleading" to link those failings to a particular number of deaths.[27][28] After leaving office, reports claimed that Burnham and his predecessor as health secretary,Alan Johnson, had rejected 81 requests for an inquiry sitting in public to examine the high rate of deaths at Stafford hospital.[29] According toThe Daily Telegraph, after initial concerns were raised about links between mortality rates and standards of care in 2005, there were up to 2,800 more deaths than expected across 14 NHS trusts highlighted as having unusually high death rates.[29] However, these figures for deaths were discredited. A report, theKeogh Review, following an investigation into the 14 NHS trusts byBruce Keogh, described the use of such statistical measures as "clinically meaningless and academically reckless".
As health secretary, Burnham proposed the creation of aNational Care Service, which would introduce a publicly funded system of social care free at the point of use along the same lines of theNational Health Service.[30] In July 2009, the Department of Health released itsgreen paperShaping the Future of Care Together, which proposed a National Care Service "on par with the NHS".[31] This was followed by a public consultation in September called the "Big Care Debate", which was promoted by Prime Minister Gordon Brown as a "crucial national debate".[32] The consultation found a public desire for social care reform and explored different ways to introduce the NCS. The government decided to introduce the NCS gradually and in different stages, with the first stage beginning with thePersonal Care at Home Act 2010, which was passed in April 2010.[33] Burnham formally launched the NCS a month earlier, giving allelderly anddisabled people free social care. The second stage was planned to begin from 2014 and would extend free social care to people who were inresidential care for more than two years. A third and final stage would fully introduce the NCS, giving all adults free social care after 2015.[34][35] However, after Labour's defeat in the2010 general election, the Conservative andLiberal Democratcoalition ofDavid Cameron andNick Clegg scrapped the NCS with the Personal Care at Home Act 2010 later being repealed.[36][37]
Following May 2010, following the defeat ofGordon Brown's government, Burnham becameShadow Secretary of State for Health. Following Brown's resignation as leader of the Labour Party, Burnham declared his intention to stand in the subsequentleadership contest.[38] He launched his leadership campaign in his Leigh constituency on 26 May.[39] Burnham stood on his philosophy of "aspirational socialism", aligning himself withIntern Aware's campaign to end unpaid internships. He made policy commitments including creating the National Care Service, which he had previously introduced as health secretary before its abolition by the Coalition, and replacinginheritance tax with aland value tax. Burnham finished fourth, eliminated on the second ballot with 10.4% of the vote. The leadership contest was won byEd Miliband.
In October 2010, Burnham was appointedShadow Secretary of State for Education and election co-ordinator for the Labour Party. As shadow education secretary, Burnham opposed the coalition government's plans for "free schools". He argued for moving the education system back towards acomprehensive system.[40]
A year later, he was appointed to the role of Shadow Secretary of State for Health, which he held until 2015.
In July 2013The Daily Telegraph reported that Burnham's staff had edited his Wikipedia page to remove criticisms of his handling of theStafford Hospital scandal. Burnham's office claimed they had removed false statements that had been drawn to their attention.[41]
On 13 May 2015, Burnham announced that he would stand to replaceEd Miliband in the2015 leadership election.[42] He stressed the need to unite the party and country and "rediscover the beating heart of Labour".[43]
He attracted press criticism for claiming £17,000 in expenses to rent a London flat, despite owning another within walking distance of the House of Commons. A spokesperson for Burnham said that renting out the original flat was necessary to "cover his costs" as parliamentary rule changes meant he was no longer able to claim for mortgage interest expenses.[44] Burnham was criticised for jokingly saying that Labour should have a woman leader "when the time is right", with theNew Statesman saying that he had "tripped over his mouth again". He also said that he would resign from the Shadow Cabinet if Labour supported leavingNATO, something whichJeremy Corbyn had talked about.[45][46] Burnham was criticised for refusing to talk toThe Sun newspaper when it emerged he had been interviewed byThe Sun in his previous run for the Labour leadership, and had been photographed in the back of a cab for the newspaper.[47] Burnham abstained on the government's welfare bill, despite having previously described the legislation as "unsupportable".[48]
Burnham came second toJeremy Corbyn in the election, with 19% of the vote in the first round, compared to 59% for Corbyn.[49]
In September 2015, Burnham accepted an appointment asshadow home secretary in the firstCorbyn shadow cabinet and remained in the role after the 2016 reshuffle.[50]Burnham opposes thePrevent counter-terrorism strategy; appearing in 2016 alongside the anti-Prevent organisation MEND, Burnham said: "The Prevent duty to report extremist behaviour is today's equivalent of internment in Northern Ireland."[51]
On 27 April 2016, the day after the Hillsborough inquest verdict that found the 96 Hillsborough deaths had occurred as a result ofunlawful killing, Burnham made a speech to the House of Commons calling for those responsible to be held to account. CondemningSouth Yorkshire Police, which had instigated a cover-up in the aftermath of the tragedy, he described the force as being "rotten to the core" while suggesting that the cover-up had been "advanced in the committee rooms of this House and in the press rooms of 10 Downing Street". The eleven-minute statement drew applause from MPs, a response that is generally against convention at Westminster.[52][53]
On 25 April 2017, as his final act in Parliament, he delivered an adjournment debate that lasted over an hour on theContaminated Blood Scandal.[54] Burnham used the debate to present a raft of evidence stating "this scandal amounts to a criminal cover-up on an industrial scale" and that "these are criminal acts". He said that if the Government did not set up an Investigation into the scandal that he would refer his evidence to the police.[55][56]
Burnham voted forKeir Starmer, who went on to win, in the2020 Labour Party leadership election, saying in an interview withThe Guardian that "Keir is a brilliant man. The fact he was a formerDPP, and came to work in my shadow Home Office team with no airs and graces says a lot about Keir Starmer."[57] Following this perceived success, and several by-election losses for Labour in 2021,[58] Burnham was touted by many commentators as a potential future leader of the party.[59][60] Burnham dismissed this speculation, calling it "annoying",[61] but refused to rule out standing in the future.[62] In September 2023, Burnham was ranked twelfth on theNew Statesman's Left Power List, described as a "key dissenter" and a "crucial voice" in the party, as well as a potential future party leader.[63]
Starmer went on to win the2024 general election, returning Labour to government. Burnham was a panelist for theSky News coverage of the election, and calledJacob Rees-Mogg losingNorth East Somerset and Hanham to Labour'sDan Norris aPortillo moment that came shortly after Labour reached the 326 seats needed for a majority.[64] Burnham was among a group of mayors to meet Starmer and then Deputy Prime MinisterAngela Rayner in Downing Street.[65]
In September 2025, following theAngela Rayner tax scandal that led to her resignation and aLabour Party deputy leadership election, the subsequentcabinet reshuffle, and the dismissal ofPeter Mandelson asBritish ambassador to the United States over the latter's association withJeffrey Epstein, criticisms of Starmer's leadership became more prominent within the Labour party. MPs reportedly viewed underperformance in the2026 United Kingdom local elections andnext Senedd election as a likely catalyst for a leadership challenge.[66]
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In September 2025, a new network,Mainstream, was formed within the Labour Party, to be a home for 'radical realists' within the party. The group has Burnham's backing.[67] This raised the prospect of a possible leadership challenge.[68][69] He has been reported as a candidate in a possibleby-election inGorton and Denton.[70][71] Burnham has said that any leadership challenge is up to Labour MPs.[72]
Speaking to the Guardian at the2025 Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, Burnham asserted that "all I've launched is a debate" about the direction of the party, noting that he was ineligible to make a leadership challenge as he is not an MP.[73] Two polls were released the same day; a YouGov/Sky News survey found that 62% of Labour members would support Burnham over Starmer,[74] whilst a Survation poll found that Burnham would be the first choice of 43% of prospective Labour leaders, with the closest challenger beingWes Streeting at 9%.[75]
Ideologically described as sitting on thesoft left of the Labour Party, Mainstream describes itself as the home of Labour's "radical realists" and promotes ademocratic socialist platform which includes the introduction of awealth tax, lifting thetwo-child benefit cap and thenationalisation of key public industries. According to its organisers, Mainstream is intended to serve as abroad-church for Labour'sprogressive left, ranging from members on theLabour left to partycentrists associated withNew Labour, rather than a political faction or caucus. Its membership is formed from a broad alliance of Labour politicians on theLabour left and soft left, as well as the more progressive elements of New Labour.Chancellor of the ExchequerRachel Reeves compared these economic plans tothose ofLiz Truss andKwasi Kwarteng.[citation needed] He supportsrejoining the European Union.[76][77] He has suggested the possibility of aland value tax and a revaluation ofcouncil tax.[76]
On 5 May 2016, a spokesperson for Burnham confirmed that he had been approached by party officials inGreater Manchester, asking him to consider resigning from theShadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn in order to run in the upcomingmayoral election in 2017. On 18 May 2016, he confirmed that he was running for Mayor.[78] Burnham was selected as the Labour candidate in August 2016.[79] In September 2016, Burnham said that he would resign as Shadow Home Secretary once a replacement had been found, in order to concentrate on his mayoral bid.[80] He was succeeded byDiane Abbott in October. Burnham said, if elected as Greater Manchester's mayor, he would resign his seat as the member of parliament forLeigh. However, the2017 general election was declared a fortnight before the mayoral election; Burnham did not stand as a candidate.[81]
Burnham was elected to the new role ofmayor of Greater Manchester on 5 May 2017. Upon taking office, he became entitled to the style ofMayor.[82] He received 63% of the vote, winning majorities in all ten of Greater Manchester's boroughs.[83] In his mayoral victory speech he said that "[politics] has been too London-centric for too long … Greater Manchester is going to take control. We are going to change politics and make it work better for people."[84]
In theelection of 6 May 2021, Burnham was re-elected as mayor, with 67% of the vote[85] on a turnout of 34.7%.[86]
In the2024 mayoral election, Burnham was elected for a third term with 63.4% of the vote, on a turnout of 32.5%.[87] This was the first Greater Manchester Mayoral election to use thefirst-past-the-post voting system, with Burnham winning every constituency.[citation needed]
The issue ofhomelessness in Greater Manchester was a major focus of Burnham's mayoral campaign. He pledged to donate 15% of his mayoral salary to charities tackling homelessness if elected.[88] After his election he outlined his plan to launch a "homelessness fund", with money going to homeless charities and mental health and rehabilitation services.[89] He pledged to endrough sleeping in Greater Manchester by 2020,[90] however, in November 2019 he admitted he would miss his target.[91]
Main Article:Bee Network
In 2020, Burnham signed off on a new £10 yearly charge for pensioners who wished to continue to use their TFGM travel passes on the region's trains and trams.[92] The charge is said to help fund a London-style bus system. Pensioners in London get free travel on all public transport in London from the age of 60,[93] while Burnham kept the Manchester system linked to the much later state pension age.[94]
Burnham pledged to bring Manchester's bus network back into public ownership by 2025. The Mayor and Authority's plans were legally challenged by bus operatorsStagecoach Group andRotala, but in March 2022 the Mayor and Authority won the case at the High Court. Media analysts commented that the ruling could pave the way for other city regions in England to regulate bus services that had beenprivatised since the 1980s.[95] Capped fares of £2 for adult single fares were introduced in September 2022, prior to the bus network becoming regulated.[96]
In March 2020, Burnham called for clearer advice on slowing the spread of theCOVID-19 pandemic, citing his previous experience as health secretary during the2009 swine flu pandemic.[97] He welcomed the additional measures implemented across Greater Manchester andLancashire bySecretary of State for Health and Social CareMatt Hancock in July during the pandemic, in the knowledge that (at the time) some areas acrossNorth West England had lower infection rates than the rest of the country.[98]
On 15 October 2020, Burnham, along with other North West leaders, backed away from government talks to place Greater Manchester in tier 3 – the most restrictive level – of a newthree-tier categorisation.[99] He cited the grants system for businesses and 80% furlough scheme for employees as insufficient, saying they would push people into poverty and destitution which would outweigh the impact of the virus if mitigated correctly.[100] Many of the concerns such as the impact on businesses and employees were shared by local Conservative MPs in Greater Manchester and surrounding areas.[101][102] For his role of securing more money for local Northern communities during theCOVID-19 pandemic, he was dubbed the "King of theNorth" by the media.[2][3][4][5] However he did not secure as much extra money as he had wanted, being forced to lower his request for £90 million to £65 million.[103]
Shortly after first being elected as Mayor in 2017, Burnham initiated a review of historical child sexual abuse allegations in Manchester and Rochdale, later expanding the scope of the investigation to Oldham. Part one of the review (focusing on Manchester) reported in 2020, part two (focusing on Oldham) reported in 2022, part three (focusing on Rochdale) reported in 2023 and part four (led byHMICFRS and covering the whole of Greater Manchester) reported in 2025.[104][105]
In January 2025, Burnham backed calls for a nationalpublic inquiry with limited scope intogroup-based child sexual exploitation and the power to compel people to give evidence.[106] This came a day after the House of Commons voted against awrecking amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill calling for an inquiry. The amendment, proposed by the Conservative Party, had been subject to a whip which prevented Labour MPs from supporting it.[107][108][109]
Main article:Greater Manchester baccalaureate
Upon his third re-election in 2024, Burnham expressed his wish to "give everyone growing up [in Manchester] an equal alternative to the university route"[110] through the creation of a baccalaureate in collaboration with local and prospective businesses, in an attempt to provide certainty that young people in Greater Manchester have the skills needed by businesses in the area. The scheme, nicknamed the MBacc, aims to be fully operational by 2030.[111]
Burnham has said that he joined the Labour Party at the age of 15 after having been "radicalised" by theUK miners' strike (1984–85).[10] Ideologically, he identifies as asocialist.[112][113] In his2010 leadership bid Burnham emphasised his philosophy of "aspirational socialism",[113] which he described asredistributive,collectivist andinternationalist.[114] He is a strong opponent ofnationalism, which he has described as an "ugly brand of politics".[115] In 2020,Iain Martin ofThe Times described Burnham as a "formerBlairite" and associated withNew Labour.[116] In a 2010 interview withAndrew Marr, Burnham said he was proud of his association with New Labour. As Mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham has rejected the approach taken by New Labour on housing and transport but has remained committed toNew Labour's "tough on crime" approach.[117] Politically, Burnham places himself on thesoft left of the Labour Party.[117] His politics have been described as soft left by a number of media outlets, including theFinancial Times, theNew Statesman, andLabourList.[118][119][120]
Burnham supports the use ofall-women shortlists for parliamentary candidate selections.[121] Burnham has stated he is a supporter ofLGBT rights and voted in favour ofsame-sex marriage in 2013.[122] In 2020 Burnham met with theanti-transgender UK organisationLGB alliance to discuss a letter he had written to the government concerning changes to theGender Recognition Act (2004).[123] When concerns were raised over it being an anti-transgender organisation he replied that there "was no mention in the letter of the LGB Alliance" before the meeting and his representatives replied stating he had "made his support for the trans community very clear over the years".[123] In an interview inThe Daily Telegraph in October 2007, Burnham said: "I think it's better when children are in a home where their parents are married" and "it's not wrong that the tax system should recognise commitment and marriage".[124]
In his 2015 leadership bid, Burnham pledged to commit Labour to "a policy of progressiverenationalisation of the railway system".[125][126] Burnham also favours a universalgraduate tax to replacestudent tuition fees,[127] and voted[when?] against the most recent increase in fees.[citation needed] He has advocated aNational Care Service, integrating care services into the National Health Service.[128] In his leadership bid, Burnham's key economic policies included a new levy to fund social care, extending thehigher minimum wage to under-25s, and banningzero-hour contracts.[129] Burnham described themansion tax proposed byEd Miliband as "the politics of envy", saying he knew it would lose votes when his mother phoned and told him it represented a return to the 1970s.[130]
Burnham is a strong supporter ofdevolving power and, in his 2015 leadership campaign, criticised the "Westminster Bubble" – the London-centric focus in British politics and perceived detachment from life outside Westminster.[131] Some opponents and political commentators accused him of being a part of the same bubble he criticises.[132] He views devolution of powers to Greater Manchester (including its elected mayor) as an opportunity forurban regeneration. He also called for a focus on Northern identity.[133] After he was elected as Mayor of Greater Manchester, he described the new powers for northern cities as "the dawn of a new era".[84] Burnham feels the government does not invest enough money in the North of England, saying: "Almost five years after the government promised us a northern powerhouse, we learn that public spending in the north has fallen while rising in the south. This has got to stop and it is time that the north came to the front of the queue for public investment".[134]
Burnham is a supporter of an electedHouse of Lords and for switching elections to theHouse of Commons to a form ofproportional representation.[135]
In 2024, Burham co-authoredHead North: A Rallying Cry for a More Equal Britain with Liverpool's metro mayorSteve Rotheram.[136] The book was described by Benjamin Myers for "the Observer" as "offer[ing] hope to the northern regions when it is most needed, and remind[ing] us that those politicians who refuse to toe the party line are often those who history remembers most favourably."[137] In contrast, it was described by Jonathan Ball in theNew Statesman as simplifying theNorth–South divide in England to "'London elite' vs 'neglected north' caricatures".[138]
Burnham married Marie-France van Heel, who is Dutch,[139] in 2000, having been in a relationship since university.[124] The couple have a son and two daughters.
Burnham was brought up as aRoman Catholic.[140] In the 2015 leadership contest he praisedPope Francis, but urged him to promote a progressive stance ongay rights.[141] In a newspaper interview during the contest he stated that he had been repeatedly at odds with the Catholic Church all the time that he had been an MP and that this had resulted in strained personal relationships.[142] Burnham has a brother, Nick, who is the principal ofCardinal Newman College in Preston.[143]
Burnham is a supporter ofrugby league and was the honorary chairman ofLeigh Centurions for a short time and is now an honorary vice-president. Burnham was a talented junior cricketer (playing forLancashire CCC Juniors) and keen footballer, and competed at both sports for his college. He has played for Labour's "Demon Eyes" football team and is a lifelong fan ofPremier League football clubEverton.[144][145] In July 2003, Burnham played forConference clubLeigh RMI in a pre-seasonfriendly against Everton.[146] He came on as an 88th minutesubstitute forNeil Robinson in the 1–1 draw atHilton Park.[146] His entry inWho's Who lists his recreations as football (Everton F.C.),Rugby league (Leigh RLC) andcricket.[6]
In December 2017 it was announced that Burnham would succeed Dean Andrew as president of theRugby Football League in July 2018.[147] Burnham was replaced byTony Adams as president of the league in the summer of 2019.[148]
Burnham was ordered to pay £1,984 in fines, charges, and costs and given six penalty points after he had admitted to speeding on a section of road with a temporarily lowered speed limit in July 2022.[149]
Burnham was portrayed byMatthew McNulty inAnne (2022), anITV miniseries about theHillsborough disaster.[150]
Roy Dixon was singled out for praise by Andy Burnham MP at yesterday's Hillsborough memorial service
it has been concluded that it would be unsafe to infer from the figures that there was any particular number or range of numbers of avoidable or unnecessary deaths at the Trust.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)... Here was someone who had been singled out by the leadership class to carry the New Labour flame to a new generation. ... A serial leadership contestant since then, he came a distant second to Mr Corbyn in 2015. The decision to serve in what followed left the former Blairite pledging loyalty to a Marxist leadership amid a far-left takeover.
"When opportunities open up right in front of you, for God's sake, make sure you take them"
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forLeigh 2001–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chief Secretary to the Treasury 2007–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 2008–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Health 2009–2010 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Secretary of State for Health 2010 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Secretary of State for Education 2010–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Secretary of State for Health 2011–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Home Secretary 2015–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded byas interim mayor | Mayor of Greater Manchester 2017–present | Incumbent |
| Key figures | |
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| Political ethos | |
| General elections | |
| Leadership elections | |
| Government | |
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