Veteran politician Andy Burnham took another step towards becoming the UK’s next prime minister on Thursday as nominations to replace Keir Starmer as Labour leader formally opened.

The 56-year-old is the only Labour member of parliament to have publicly said he is a candidate to succeed Starmer, who announced he was quitting last month.

Burnham will need to show that he has the support of 81 of Labour’s 402 MPs to become a formal candidate, a tally that he is expected to surpass easily.

All eyes will be on whether an alternative candidate can muster the required support to challenge Burnham, nicknamed the “King of the North” for winning three consecutive Greater Manchester mayoral elections.

If no one sparks a contest, then Burnham will be crowned Labour leader — and prime minister in waiting — at a special conference on July 17.

Burnham would then replace Starmer at 10 Downing Street three days later.

If a contest does take place, then the victor will be announced on August 29 following a ballot of Labour members and affiliated unions.

Burnham’s path to Downing Street, however, looked increasingly assured late on Wednesday after former armed forces minister Al Carns ruled himself out of the running.

Carns had said he had hoped a leadership contest would give the party the “opportunity for a proper debate”.

“But months of internal Labour politics isn’t what the country needs right now. We’ve got to get on with the job,” he said, throwing his support behind Burnham.

Burnham vowed in a keynote speech in June to “bring about the biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen”.

He pledged to put power “in the hands of the people and places who can use it best”.

“We need a new determination to raise the living standards of every single person in this land,” he added.

“And we must accept that to do that, to fix the economy and the country, we need to change politics and we need to do it now.”

Starmer, under pressure for months over policy U-turns and questions about his judgement, announced on June 22 that he was resigning after losing the support of Labour MPs.

His move came after Burnham had won a by-election that allowed him to return to parliament to launch a widely expected leadership challenge.

On the day Starmer announced his resignation, Burnham was sworn into parliament, becoming an MP again following his stint between 2001 and 2017.

‘Breath of fresh air’

Afterwards, some 200 Labour MPs feted Burnham during a group photo in Westminster, in a clear sign that they expect him to take over.

Former health minister Wes Streeting announced he was dropping his intention to run and backing Burnham.

Burnham — seen as slightly to the left of the more centrist Starmer — is Labour’s most popular politician, surveys show.

Many MPs feel he is the party’s best chance of clawing back support from Nigel Farage’s anti-immigrant Reform UK party before the next general election, expected in 2029.

Reform has led Labour in national opinion polls for well over a year, although the gap has narrowed in recent weeks.

Burnham has pledged fiscal discipline and to reduce the country’s ballooning welfare bill, having already sought to calm markets by committing to the government’s current borrowing limits.

And he has also proposed the creation of a “No. 10 North” to coordinate a devolution — a play on words on the UK prime minister’s address at 10 Downing Street.

One Labour MP, who asked not to be named, said the party was right to “roll the dice” on Burnham, saying “he couldn’t be worse than Starmer”.

“I hope he’s a breath of fresh air,” the lawmaker told AFP.

Another, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said he backed Burnham but was concerned that Burnham will only have a few weeks to prepare for government.