Burnham is trying to broaden his appeal beyond Greater Manchesterpublished at 13:02 BST

13:02 BST

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

In Andy Burnham's own eyes, let alone anyone else's, this is clearly a big shift in emphasis.

Burnham talks about the Labour Party no longer being the Labour Party that people recognise.

He began by saying that this was the view of the people in Makerfield, where he won that by-election a month or so ago.

But then - and I think he is clearly self conscious about broadening his appeal beyond Greater Manchester - he said the view of people who used to vote Labour in the dockyards of the Tyne and the Tees, in London, and in the mill towns of the east and west Pennines.

It was an attempt by Burham to broaden his appeal.

And not just for himself; but to broaden also the Labour Party's appeal and posture far beyond what Keir Starmer presented to the public in 2024.

Jenna Moon
Live editor

Image source, PA Media

Andy Burnham took the stage as Labour's new leader and PM-in-waiting to a raucous standing ovation. "What a moment", he said, before adding: "I'm ready".

And after thanking outgoing PM Keir Starmer for his leadership, Burnham launched into what can be expected from him as he heads up the party.

He pledged to do five thing as leader:

Build a "one Labour team": Decrying the party's history of infighting, Burnham said that factionalism has "bedevilled" Labour, adding a divided party can't "beat Britain's new right if we are infighting".

A new type of politics: Claiming the public is "crying out" for change in politics, Burnham said voters are switched off. He said he gained ground in the Makerfield by-election because he was honest about the need for new politics - but added: "this is our last chance for change."

Refining the party's political direction: While Burnham said he will work with other parties, he added that Labour will now be "boldly, confidently us", rather than adopting other parties' politics.

A leader for the whole UK: Burnham promised that he would be "a leader for the north, the south, the east, the west, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland." He pledged to unite the country to a common cause.

Decentralising Whitehall: Echoing his previous commitment to devolve government from Westminster, Burnham said that he wanted to give power back to areas around the country.

We got a few glimpses of the policies that a Labour Party under Burnham would adopt: The new leader promised new council homes, reinvigorated high streets and improvements to education. Despite speculation, Burnham said he is yet to decide who will be in his top team.

Our political correspondents will continue to digest what we heard this afternoon - stay with us here for more analysis to come.

Burnham's first speech as Labour leader was extremely boldpublished at 12:53 BST

12:53 BST

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Andy Burnham's Labour leadership acceptance speech was an extremely bold one.

It started off talking about building on a platform built by Keir Starmer.

And then it went much bigger. He talked about the biggest change moment in 40 years of British politics.

He talked about ending factionalism in the Labour Party. (I don't know which of those is a bigger task than the other.)

It was the speech of a man who does not believe that he is going to be just the latest in the long line of prime ministers there have been in the past decade.

Burnham says he hasn't got everything right, adding that he's "sorry" where he's fallen short. "But I have "always given it my all," he says.

He says he has listened and learned as he's gone along - "and hopefully I've got better as a result".

He adds that he knows what he believes and what he wants to do: "I have a plan".

Burnham brings his speech to an end by vowing to "bring back hope" as the new leader of the Labour party.

"I believe in all of you and I am confident we can do it," he adds.

He receives a standing ovation and applause as he concludes his speech.

Burnham's fifth pledge is to take power back from Westminster and Whitehall and give it to "the place where you live".

He says people should have more power over life's essentials to make them work better and so they are more affordable.

Burnham says he is a pro-business leader of the Labour Party, and vows to take more power to reindustrialise and improve education to give everyone a path in life.

He says his plan is to "bring back the hope we have all been missing too much".

"People are looking for us to deliver and we will," he says.

Image source, UK Pool

Outlining his fourth commitment, Burnham says he will be a leader "for the north, the south, the east and the west; for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland".

He says the north of England has "given me so much" and he sought to give it the strongest voice he could - but now he will do the "same for everywhere".

He says he loves every part of the country but knows they can be more than they are, adding that the government should help them "take power" to be more.

"Kids shouldn't have to leave those places, those proud places, to get on in life," he says.

Image source, PA Media

Burnham says he will work with other parties where he can, but will set a direction that is "distinctively Labour" and the party will win by being "boldly, confidently, authentically us".

He says Britain took a series of wrong turns in the 1980s, when he says "political power was centralised and economic power was privatised".

He adds that the country surrendered control of the essentials such as housing, water, energy and transport and left people exposed to higher costs, which "led to the concentration of more wealth and power in the hands of fewer people and fewer places".

Image source, PA Media

Burnham says his second aim will be to "build a new politics".

He says people in the UK are infuriated by politics and it makes them "switch off", adding "we haven't been good enough".

He says the people of Makerfield gave the party another chance, but this is "a last chance" to change and "we must take it together".

Burnham says the party must focus on problem solving rather than point scoring and fix the "big things" that politics has neglected, including social care.

Burnham says the party must start by recognising that "this generation of politicians" has failed to challenge a political culture and economic model that "simply doesn't work well enough for ordinary people".

"We pledge to them to be better," he says.

He says he accepts the honour of leading the party forward, and will outline five things he'll do "to make us better".

The first one is working "relentlessly" to build a culture of "one Labour team", he says.

He says he'll work to build unity by respecting all shades of opinion, adding that he hasn't decided yet who will be in his top team but says it will reflect voices from across the party.

Image source, PA Media

Burnham mentions writing up the second draft of the Hillsborough Law with Starmer ten years ago.

He says being in Parliament on Tuesday for the bill finally passing "felt to me like life coming full circle".

Burnham says his journey to the stage began in earnest at Anfield, Liverpool, in 2009, when he was forced to confront "the fact that this country does not work for working class communities, like the city of my birth".

"It turned its back on them," he says.

He says the places that built the Labour Party were "done down", including the steelworks and ironworks of Sheffield, Scunthorpe, Port Talbot, Teeside, in the coalfields of south Wales, central Scotland, Lancashire, the mills across the Pennines, and the shipyards in Tyne and Clyde.

"The people of these proud places made Labour - but we have to ask ourselves...'have we been good enough for them?'," he says.

Burnham tells the crowd "I am ready", ready to lead the party and to build on the foundations laid by Keir Starmer.

He says under Starmer the party went from its worst defeat to their best victory and put Labour in a position to change people's lives.

He cites a number of his predecessor's achievements, including falling NHS waiting times and rebuilding Britain's reputation on the world stage.

Burnham thanks Starmer for his service to country and the party, which draws a large round of applause form the crowd.

Burnham is welcomed to the stage with loud applause and cheers.

"What a moment," he says, thanking everyone. "What backing you've given me."

He jokes that he doesn't need to thank Catherine West - the MP who issued MPs with an ultimatum over Keir Starmer after the May election losses - because "she backed me too".

All Labour MPs "heard the call from the people of Makerfield on behalf of forgotten places everywhere", Burnham says. He says it's a call for "the return of the Labour they once knew".

"We will answer the call," he adds.

He says the party is united and will "put the power of that unity to people and places that have been waiting too long for politics to let them hope again".

Image source, UK Pool

Before Burnham began his first speech as Labour Party leader, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said there was only one eligible nominated candidate receiving 379 nominations, meeting the threshold to proceed to the next stage.

Among affiliated trade unions and social societies, one candidate received 23 nominations in total, including from all eleven trade unions.

She then declared Andy Burnham has been elected leader of the Labour Party.

Image source, UK Pool

Andy Burnham is welcomed to the stage by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood after being confirmed as the new leader of the Labour Party.

He shared a hug with his wife before taking to the stage, to the loud applause of those in the room.

You can follow his speech by clicking watch live above.

Image source, UK Pool

Image source, UK Pool

We are firstly hearing from Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell, who pays her respects to Keir Starmer, to a lengthy applause from around the room.

"His legacy will be of the guy who helped save the Labour Party," Powell says, adding that he took the party from "historic defeat" to a "historic election victory".

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

As we just watched Andy Burnham arrive, my colleague Vicki Young asked him how he was feeling.

“Good,” came the answer. “Ready.”

Good? Of course — he has reached the office he has sought for 16 years.

Ready? That is the question on which Labour MPs, not to mention the general public, will be judging him over the coming days, weeks and months.

Image source, UK Pool

We're about to hear from Andy Burnham, who is expected to set out his "unashamedly Labour" vision for governing.

He'll be making the speech from central London shortly after he's officially confirmed as the new Labour Party leader.

But up first is Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, then the party's general secretary Hollie Ridley, and finally Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

Tap watch live to follow along at the top of the page - we'll also bring you the key lines here.

Image source, Getty Images

There's plenty to digest as Andy Burnham takes over as Labour leader today. We've been providing analysis throughout the morning, here's a recap:

A moment shorn of any real capacity for surprise: Our political editor Chris Mason says Burnham's argument today will be one he’s been rehearsing since at least his by-election campaign launch in a dusty car park near Wigan in May.

The beneath-the-radar battle for No 11: Whoever Burnham appoints as chancellor - and next-door neighbour in Downing Street - will send a signal of his intent both to politicians and to the bond markets, writes our political correspondent Iain Watson.

Burnham has wanted the top job for decades: Today marks the fulfilment of a decades-held ambition for Andy Burnham, according to our chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman, who also takes a look at what the incoming Labour leader is likely to say today and how it might be interpreted.

Burnham is likely to face pressure to find £9bn a year for defence: BBC Verify's Ben Chu looks at the numbers and challenges for Burnham if he wants to continue raising defence spending.

How long previous PMs have spent in No 10: It’s been a decade since the UK has had a prime minister who has served a full term in office between general elections - senior data journalist Daniel Wainwright looks at the figures.

We'll have more analysis throughout the afternoon, stick with us.

As Andy Burnham prepares to be officially appointed as leader of the Labour Party at a special conference in central London, Downing Street is also a hive of activity this morning.

Photos show vans from Bishop's Move, a home removals and storage company, parked outside the premises where Keir Starmer has lived for the past two years.

Burnham will replace Starmer as prime minister on Monday, when he will meet King Charles, who will ask him to form a government.

Once Burnham has accepted, he will officially be the UK's prime minister - and he will head to Downing Street.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Chris Mason
Political editor

In a social media video shot and edited by his team in Cardiff recently, Andy Burnham brought attention to a massive issue that the country confronts: social care.

He talked of his own family’s experience in England, given his dad has Alzheimer’s, and said he is "going to expend quite a lot of political capital" in this area.

He’s referring to England, because social care is devolved — and so is the responsibility of Holyrood, the Senedd and Stormont in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively.

“Political capital” is Westminster speak for the credit you have with your own side and with the country, that tends to get used up as you do difficult, often unpopular things.

And Andy Burnham knows a thing or two about how difficult and unpopular wrestling with social care can be.

Image source, Reuters

This week, 17 years ago, as health secretary, Burnham told the House of Commons that “we need to end the cruel lottery of older people facing financial hardship because they happen to get dementia, for example, rather than cancer.”

Labour proposed what they called a “National Care Service” - paid for by a flat 10% fee charged on dead people’s estates.

But Labour’s political opponents branded it a “death tax”, Labour went on to lose the 2010 election and the idea fizzled out.

So Andy Burnham has unfinished business. But how would he sell the idea now. As so often with political choices, there is a central question: who pays for it?