ANDY Burnham and the two newly elected Scottish MPs are set to be sworn in at the Palace of Westminster on Monday.
Burnham is set to return to the House of Commons as MP for Makerfield today after Keir Starmer announced he will resign as Prime Minister.
He could become prime minister within weeks after the former health sinister Wes Streeting announced he would not enter any race to succeed Starmer.
The SNP’s Lara Bird, who was elected as the party’s new MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, will also be sworn in today, along with Douglas Lumsden, the Scottish Conservatives' new MP for Aberdeen South.
Bird and Lumsden were elected following last week's by-elections caused by Stephen Flynn, former MP for Aberdeen South, and Stephen Gethins, former MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, being elected as MSPs to the Scottish Parliament in May.
Following the SNP losing the Aberdeen South seat to the Tories, Flynn vowed his party would win the seat back, saying: “We lost Aberdeen South to the Tories in 2017, and we won it back two years later.
“I’ve no doubt that we can do so again. If we get things right.”
How to watch the three new MPs being sworn in
You can watch Burnham, Bird and Lumsden swearing in on Parliament TV here.
The three new MPs are set to be sworn in at the Palace of Westminster just after 2.30pm.
How likely is it that Burnham will become the next prime minister after he’s sworn in?
Burnham confirmed he would stand for the Labour leadership shortly after Starmer pledged an “orderly handover of power” in an emotional statement outside Number 10.
The former Greater Manchester mayor's chances of winning the premiership unopposed were boosted significantly minutes later when Streeting said he would back Burnham if there were a contest.
Streeting had been viewed as a potential leadership rival to Burnham, but his decision not to enter the contest paved the way for a coronation as early as mid-July.
Announcing he would bid for the party leadership, Burnham said Starmer’s resignation “marks the beginning of a transition”.
He said: “The Labour movement has always been at its strongest when it looks forward with confidence and purpose.
“This is what we will do from here and we will make sure this transition is a positive process of renewal for our party and our country.”
Giving his support to the new Makerfield MP, Streeting said he had spoken with Burnham “at length” and concluded he could “win the fight of our lives against the forces of nationalism”.
He added: “We could spend the summer exaggerating small differences, or we can roll up our sleeves and help him to deliver the change our party and our country needs.”
