How quickly could Andy Burnham become the UK’s prime minister?

But there are many variables in that process – from whether he faces a rival such as Wes Streeting in a leadership contest, to whether Keir Starmer is quickly ready to accept the likelihood of his political demise. The fastest: Burnham in No 10 within days The Labour party rulebook sets out that if an MP wants to challenge a sitting party leader, they must first be nominated by at least 20% of the parliamentary party (currently 81 MPs), as well as by at least 5% of all local branches or at least three party-affiliated groups, of which a minimum of two must be unions. Any contenders who meet the threshold go forward to a vote of party members, assuming there is more than one challenger. It also says that if a sitting leader is challenged, they do not need to meet these requirements and are automatically in the members’ vote – if they choose to be. There is a scenario in which Starmer reflects on the scale of Burnham’s win and decides he will step down immediately – perhaps after a mass of senior cabinet ministers tell him they will resign if he does not – and no other challengers come forward. Burnham would still need to go through the formal process of getting support from MPs and party groups, but with a coronation looming, this would most likely be swift. Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) would set a timetable for the contest, and without a vote of the membership, the process could be completed in days. …