Burnham leads field to replace Starmer as PM, but Labour contest still open

BBC coverage from June 2026 names Andy Burnham as front-runner to succeed Keir Starmer as Prime Minister after Starmer's resignation. At least two other Labour MPs are considering leadership bids, leaving the field unsettled. Starmer held his first meeting with Burnham since the Makerfield by-election (a contest for a vacant Commons seat), inviting scrutiny over the transition.