By Andrew MacAskill and Elizabeth Piper
LONDON, July 17 (Reuters) - After enduring one of the worst moments of his career when he lost his second bid for the Labour leadership in 2015, Andy Burnham spoke of the pain of being "rejected by people you know" and left for Manchester to escape London politics.
Just over a decade later, the man whose stint as Greater Manchester mayor saw him dubbed 'the King of the North' has taken over as Labour leader unopposed and, next week, will become Britain's seventh prime minister in that period.
The defeat and self-imposed exile that appeared to end his chances of ever becoming prime minister instead helped propel him to the most powerful job in Britain.
After being elected Labour leader on Friday, Burnham promised the biggest change in four decades to the way Britain was governed, arguing that centralised government in London had ignored the needs of local communities.
LONDON, July 17 (Reuters) - After enduring one of the worst moments of his career when he lost his second bid for the Labour leadership in 2015, Andy Burnham spoke of the pain of being "rejected by people you know" and left for Manchester to escape London politics.
Just over a decade later, the man whose stint as Greater Manchester mayor saw him dubbed 'the King of the North' has taken over as Labour leader unopposed and, next week, will become Britain's seventh prime minister in that period.
The defeat and self-imposed exile that appeared to end his chances of ever becoming prime minister instead helped propel him to the most powerful job in Britain.
After being elected Labour leader on Friday, Burnham promised the biggest change in four decades to the way Britain was governed, arguing that centralised government in London had ignored the needs of local communities.
3 months ago
