Who is Andy Burnham?

Andy Burnham and the new Mainstream organisation may cause problems for the Labour Government in the near future.

With public distrust in the Labour government growing every day, and Reform leading in opinion polls, Keir Starmer sceptics within the Labour Party have put their faith in a new man: Andy Burnham.

Andy Burnham, the King of the North, is the Mayor of Greater Manchester and one of the founding members of the new political organisation Mainstream.

Mainstream was founded ahead of the 2025 Labour Party deputy leadership election. It is a newly formed network or grouping within the existing Labour Party. It is a network for "radical realists" within Labour, aiming to change the party's direction and push for more radical policies, such as wealth taxes and the nationalisation of utility companies.

Burnham has huge popularity among northerners, seen in his landslide win of the 2024 mayoral election with 63% of the vote for electing him for a third time. He is most known for the key part he played in getting justice for the 96 victims of Hillsborough.

However, he cannot currently be elected to Parliament as he stepped down as an MP for Leigh in 2017. As the UK is a Parliamentary Democracy, he cannot be a part of the Government without first holding a seat in the legislature (Parliament).