Andy Burnham's path to becoming prime minister

Andy Burnham's path to becoming prime ministerImage source, Getty ImagesPublished4 minutes agoLabour MPs are about to start nominating their next leader following Sir Keir Starmer's resignation.Andy Burnham is so far the only MP who has announced their intention to stand, and is widely expected to become the prime minister later this month.It means the former Greater Manchester mayor could enter Downing Street just a few weeks after he returned to Parliament in a by-election in Makerfield. What happens next?There will be a week-long window between 9 and 15 July for MPs to gather the required nominations to stand under the party's rulebook.Leadership candidates need 20% of the party's MPs to nominate them. There are 403 Labour MPs, meaning the support of 81 is needed.They also need to be nominated by at least three of the 31 socialist societies and trade unions affiliated to the party, or 5% of the constituency Labour parties (CLPs).Affiliate nominees must comprise at least 5% of Labour's affiliated membership and include two unions, a group that includes GMB, Unite and Unison.On 13 July, candidates will take part in a parliamentary hustings where they can answer questions from fellow Labour MPs. If Burnham remains the only candidate, he could in effect hold a hustings all by himself.Affiliate nominations open at 18:00 BST on 15 July and close the same time the following day. The CLP nomination stage, if required, would begin on 20 July and end on 31 July.What happens if Burnham is the only candidate?This is the most likely scenario - so far, no other candidate has emerged as a likely challenger and most MPs are working on the assumption Burnham will become the next prime minister.Wes Streeting, Sir Keir's former health secretary, had been seen as the MP most likely to throw his hat in the ring. But that changed shortly after Sir Keir's resignation, when he instead endorsed Burnham and indicated he would not fight for the leadership...