Andy Burnham poised to become Britain's next PM after most Labour lawmakers support him

LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - Andy Burnham is on the brink of becoming Britain's next prime minister after an overwhelming ​show of support from Labour lawmakers left him ‌all but certain to replace Keir Starmer.

Burnham said he had received nominations from 322 out of the 403 Labour members of parliament ​on the first day of nominations on Thursday, ​leaving him one short of ensuring he can ⁠be the only candidate.

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"It's all starting to feel ​very real," Burnham said in a short video clip ​announcing he had nominated himself.

The nominations for the Labour leadership close next Thursday. Burnham is expected to be formally anointed as Labour ​leader next Friday and will be officially named ​as prime minister on July 20.

Once Burnham reaches 323 nominations, no ‌other ⁠candidate would be able to secure the backing of the 81 needed to enter the contest to replace Starmer.

Some Labour members of parliament say they were not ​able to vote ​on Thursday ⁠but will back Burnham once they return to parliament on Monday.

Burnham's path to the ​leadership was effectively secured on Wednesday night ​when ⁠Al Carns, the former junior defence minister, said he would not stand against him.

Starmer announced his resignation last month ⁠after ​a poor performance in local elections ​in May prompted growing calls from lawmakers for a change of ​leadership and direction.

Reporting by Andrew MacAskill, editing by William James

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