This moved faster than most coverage suggests. Burnham secured backing from 349 Labour MPs on July 13, ending the contest before it really started — no rival could gather enough nominations to challenge him. He's set to be formally confirmed as Labour leader at a special party conference on July 17, and PM by July 20. A Tory MP's description of him has stuck: "Keir Starmer with a Northern accent." Whether that's an insult or the whole reason Labour wants him is genuinely up for debate.