The outgoing Greater Manchester mayor is lining up a third attempt to be Labour leader following his return to Westminster.

Andy Burnham has tried to become Labour leader before - twice running, twice missing out. But it may now be a case of third time lucky, with Sir Keir Starmer's resignation and many Labour MPs rallying around the new MP for Makerfield, paving the way for a potential Burnham premiership. Burnham has confirmed he intends to bid for the Labour leadership, and his chances will have been boosted by the backing of Wes Streeting - Sir Keir's former health secretary who had himself been keen on running for the top job. Burnham's first major obstacle to the doors of Downing Street was cleared last week when he won the Makerfield by-election, seeing off a challenge from Reform UK, which came second but more than 9,000 votes behind Labour. The former Greater Manchester mayor increased Labour's share of the vote from 45% at the 2024 general election to almost 55%. Now the Labour MP, who was first elected to Parliament in 2001, will be sworn into Parliament on Monday afternoon. But how did he become front-runner in the race for No 10? Born in Liverpool in 1970, Burnham grew up in Culcheth, a quiet commuter belt village in Cheshire, near Warrington. His father, a BT engineer, and his mother, a GP receptionist, were both staunch Labour supporters and he developed an early interest in politics.