The "King of the North" is aiming for the post of Prime Minister of Great Britain. 5 Facts about Andy Burnham

After Keir Starmer announced his resignation as Prime Minister of Great Britain, Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, became the most likely candidate for his post. He will lead the government after winning the elections within the Labor Party. Burnham is known as the "King of the North" due to his advocacy of the interests of the northern regions of England and the fight against the influence of London. What else the future prime minister is known for is in the Izvestia article.

Fact 1. Unsuccessfully tried to lead the Labor Party

Burnham was born in a suburb of Liverpool in the family of a telephone engineer and a receptionist at a polyclinic. His political views were formed already in his youth, when he witnessed the miners' strikes of the 1980s and watched a documentary about unemployment in his hometown. Back in high school, Burnham won debates as a Labor member, and officially joined the party at the age of 15.

• In 2001, at the age of 31, Burnham was first elected to the British Parliament. He held several ministerial posts in the government of Gordon Brown from 2007 to 2010. After the Conservatives came to power, Burnham began trying to gain popularity among the Labor Party in order to lead his own party and in the future have the opportunity to become prime minister. However, he was defeated both times in the internal party elections, finishing fourth in 2010 and second in 2015.

• Not wanting to remain an ordinary member of parliament, Burnham accepted an offer from his party members to participate in the first—ever mayoral elections in Greater Manchester, the third largest metropolitan area in the country. He won in 2017 and then twice extended his term of office in the elections.

Fact 2. He became the "King of the North"

• As mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham was nicknamed the "King of the North", which refers to the TV series "Game of Thrones". It appeared during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, when the politician began to zealously defend the interests of the northern English regions. Burnham openly argued with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and demanded that the restrictions be accompanied by additional funding for the affected northern areas.

• For many, Burnham has become a symbol of the struggle against the London establishment and the entrenched inequality between northern England and the rest of the country. Many in Manchester and neighboring cities were impressed that he had given up his seat in the British Parliament in order to pursue regional policy and improve the quality of life locally. Burnham proclaimed "Manchesterism" as his political philosophy. By this term, he means the policy of decentralization and moving away from the tutelage of London, the desire for financial independence from central authorities, and the development of business-friendly socialism.

Fact 3. He was booed by football fans

• From January 2008 to June 2009, Burnham served as Minister of Culture, Media and Sports. In this capacity, on April 19, 2009, he took part in mourning events on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the tragedy at Hillsborough Stadium, when 97 Liverpool fans died in a stampede during an FA Cup football match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

• Burnham was scheduled to perform at Liverpool Stadium in front of 30,000 fans gathered for a memorial service. However, the minister was booed when he began to read out a message from Prime Minister Gordon Brown. It said that the victims of the tragedy would not be forgotten, which angered the audience, as no police officer who had caused a stampede in the stands was brought to justice as a result of the incident. Burnham paused for a few minutes, but continued his speech anyway.

• After this incident, Burnham suggested re-examining the circumstances of the tragedy. This resulted in a new large-scale investigation, which confirmed that the stampede was the fault of the police, and all the victims were victims of manslaughter. Up to this point, it was believed that the fans themselves were to blame for their deaths. Although no one was actually punished, at the next memorial service in 2014, Liverpool fans already greeted Burnham with an ovation.

Fact 4. Fan of Everton and Rugby league

• Football is very important for Burnham. He has been a passionate fan of Everton, Liverpool's bitter rival, all his life. Already being a politician, Burnham commented on the matches of his favorite team on the radio, and one day he took the field against her. This happened in 2003, when Everton held a pre-season friendly match against the amateur club Li RMI. Burnham also regularly plays for the Labor Party team against journalists.

"Terrible and chaotic": Keir Starmer left the post of Prime Minister of Great Britain

With his departure, the problems in the government are unlikely to be solved, and trust in the traditional parties has been undermined.

• Another of Burnham's favorite sports is rugby league, a type of rugby that was historically played by workers from the north of England. While he served as mayor of Greater Manchester, he led the Rugby Football League, which runs the sport in England, for a year.

Fact 5. Catholic and Vatican critic

• If Burnham becomes the leader of the Labour Party, he will become the first Catholic to head the UK government. Of his predecessors, only Johnson was baptized in the Catholic faith, but he converted to Anglicanism and back during his lifetime. Burnham remains a Catholic since birth, he attended Catholic school and served as an altar boy in the church.

• Although Burnham says his life has been shaped by Everton, the Labour Party and the Catholic Church, he doesn't consider himself too religious. He allows himself to criticize the Vatican for being too conservative and lacking openness, but at the same time spoke warmly about Pope Francis, with whom he personally met.