Andy Burnham was elected as leader of Britain's Labour Party, taking another step towards becoming prime minister.
Burnham was elected at a "special conference" on Friday as the current British prime minister, Keir Starmer, readies to step down next Monday.
He warned that his leadership could be the party's last chance to regain the trust of most Brits and pledged to have a "united" team.
"We are united and we put the power that comes from that unity at the service of people and places who have been waiting too long for politics to let them hope again," he told lawmakers.
Burnham previously served in several Cabinet positions under former Prime Minister Gordon Brown before becoming mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017, a role that raised his national profile during the COVID-19 pandemic and cemented his reputation as one of Labour's most influential regional leaders, gaining him the nickname "King in the North."
Burnham also pledged to fight against the rise of right-wing party Reform UK. However, the party's Nigel Farage is facing controversy of his own after facing allegations that he failed to declare a £5 million ($6.7 million) gift from cryptocurrency investor and Reform donor Christopher Harborne in 2024.
Reports have also linked him to financial support from George Cottrell, a political ally who was convicted of wire fraud in the United States in 2017. As a result, he is being investigated by the parliament's standards watchdog.
Farage has denied any wrongdoing and recently resigned so his constituents will "judge" his actions in a new special election. "I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started," he said, in reference to Reform UK, the party he leads and is topping most of the UK's opinion polls.
However, the move has backfired as his potential challengers refused to take part in the election, leaving him to only face a parody candidate: Count Binface, portrayed by comedian Jon Harvey, who has ran in several British parliamentary elections wearing a trash can on his head and a superhero-resembling suit and cape. "Game on, Nige," said in a social media post after Farage's announcement.
