Andy Burnham greeted by cheers and jeers as he is sworn in

‘Rome is saved,’ the Conservative MP Desmond Swayne heckled as Andy Burnham was sworn in as a member of parliament for Makerfield, on the day prime minister Keir Starmer resigned.⁠ Subscribe ► https://www.youtube.com/user/guardianwires?sub_confirmation=1 ⁠ He’s not prime minister yet, but becoming an MP allows the so-called king of the north to stand for leadership of the Labour party. Burnham could run unchallenged and take the premiership as soon as 16 July.⁠ ⁠ A career politician who has held key jobs at the top of the British government, this will be Burnham’s third attempt to become leader of his party after more than a year of political manoeuvring.⁠ ⁠ After his last loss to Jeremy Corbyn, he quit Westminster in 2016 to run for Greater Manchester mayor, saying in a blunt farewell speech that ‘voters have a problem with an out-of-touch elite who don’t seem to care’.⁠ ⁠ In the nine years since Burnham left London, his political and personal style and demeanour have transformed. Gone are the sharp suits and ties. Now he dresses in T-shirts and bomber jackets.⁠ ⁠ His willingness to challenge critics on social media, and channel the style of his New York mayoral counterpart, Zohran Mamdani, in direct-to-voter messaging has delighted his backers.⁠ #andyburnham #politics #uk #keirstarmer