The leading candidate for the position of British prime minister was sworn in as a member of Parliament

Andy Burnham, who is considered the frontrunner to become the next prime minister of the United Kingdom, has officially been sworn in as a member of Parliament in the House of Commons. The politician will represent the Makerfield constituency, where he won last week’s by-election. Burnham’s return to the halls of the Westminster Parliament was met with loud applause from his colleagues in the Labour Party. 

In addition to Burnam, two other newly elected members of Parliament took the oath of allegiance to the Crown: Douglas Lumsden of the Conservative Party and Lara Bird of the Scottish National Party (SNP). 

The event took place on an extremely tense day for British politics, as the incumbent head of government, Keir Starmer, officially announced his resignation as prime minister and leader of the Labour Party amid an internal party crisis.

WATCH: Andy Burnham is sworn in as the Labour MP for Makerfield pic.twitter.com/AJJN2UME8N

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In his speech, Starmer noted that the official period for accepting nominations for the election of the new Labour Party leader will begin on July 9 and end on July 16. Political analysts note that a majority of party members are rallying behind Burnham. If no other party member puts forward an alternative candidate against him by mid-July, Andy Burnham will automatically become the head of the British government just a few days after the registration period ends.

This was reported by Sky News.

According to reports, Keir Starmer announced his resignation on June 22. The decision came amid a political crisis in the UK, which intensified following local elections in which the Labour Party lost a significant number of seats and control of the Welsh Assembly.

After the elections, some MPs and government officials publicly called for Starmer’s resignation, which heightened domestic political tensions in the country.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer informed staff at his office of his final decision to resign.

Within the UK Labour Party, talk has intensified about a possible leadership change and the potential resignation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is considered the leading contender to replace him.

The British Foreign Secretary has called on Starmer to resign.