Burnham on course for No 10 as Labour nominations open

Andy Burnham is on course to become Labour's new leader, with no other candidate running against him as nominations in the contest open.

Labour MPs can now formally endorse contenders to replace Sir Keir Starmer, with an initial total to be published by the party at around 19.00 BST on Thursday.

Without other candidates joining the former Greater Manchester mayor in the race, Burnham will be declared leader at a party event at the end of next week.

He would then become prime minister on 20 July, just weeks after returning to Parliament after a decade's absence in a by-election in Makerfield.

Former defence minister Al Carns, who had suggested he could throw his hat into the ring, ruled himself out on Wednesday evening.

The move cleared the path for Burnham to run unopposed, with a series of possible rivals including Wes Streeting already having thrown their weight behind him.

Labour's rulebook requires candidates to be nominated by 81 Labour MPs, as well as either 32 of Labour's 634 local branches, or three of the 31 socialist societies and trade unions affiliated to the party, including at least two unions.

Candidates have until Wednesday next week to gather the nominations from Labour MPs required to take part.

But an initial running total later, expected around 19.00 BST, will reveal the current state of support among Labour MPs for Burnham's bid for power.

His path to the leadership could effectively be confirmed later if he manages to secure 323 nominations, as this would make it mathematically impossible for a rival to reach the 81-MP threshold needed to run against him.

It means Burnham could be propelled into Downing Street without Labour members and affiliated trade union supporters getting a vote.

In a social media post, Burnham confirmed he had submitted own his nomination for his candidacy, adding "it's all starting to feel very real".

He joked that it would be "hopefully third time lucky" for him, referring to his two previous failed bids for the leadership in 2010 and 2015.

The possibility of a curtailed contest has already led to some calls within Labour for the ex-mayor to set out further details of his blueprint for office.

Burnham left Westminster in 2017, limiting his opportunities to forge strong relationships with Labour MPs elected since then, who now make up the bulk of the party's contingent in the House of Commons.

As things stand he would be the only participant in an official parliamentary hustings scheduled for Monday next week, at which he would field questions from fellow Labour MPs about his plans for power.

So-called "access talks" with civil servants about his policy proposals are ongoing, run by Cabinet Secretary Antonia Romeo, the UK's most senior official.

Burnham offered some details of his blueprint for office in a speech in Manchester last week, including proposals to establish a new No 10 unit in the city.

He has suggested the unit will be tasked with handing local government more control in areas including housing and transport.

A central part of his policy offering is a pledge to give all parts of the UK "greater public control" of the water and energy sectors, although he is yet to spell out what this would mean in practice.

In a Times article on Thursday, he also confirmed he wants to keep Sir Keir's national security adviser Jonathan Powell, a former Blair aide, in post.

He also said he wanted to see a "sustained increase" in defence investment, without committing to a specific target, whilst being "more open with the public" about cost overruns or delays to military procurement.

In one of his final decisions as prime minister, Sir Keir announced a plan to increase military spending by £15bn over the next four years by cutting spending in other parts of government, whilst leaving the details to his successor.