Andy Burnham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable Mayor Andy Burnham
Burnham in 2024
Mayor of Greater Manchester
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 May 2017
Deputy	Richard Leese (2017–2021) The Baroness Hughes of Stretford (2017–2023) Paul Dennett (2021–) Kate Green (2023–)
Preceded by	Tony Lloyd (interim)
Secretary of State for Health
In office 5 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Alan Johnson
Succeeded by	Andrew Lansley
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In office 24 January 2008 – 5 June 2009
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	James Purnell
Succeeded by	Ben Bradshaw
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office 28 June 2007 – 24 January 2008
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Stephen Timms
Succeeded by	Yvette Cooper
Shadow Cabinet posts Shadow Home Secretary In office 13 September 2015 – 6 October 2016 Leader Jeremy Corbyn Preceded by Yvette Cooper Succeeded by Diane Abbott Shadow Secretary of State for Health In office 7 October 2011 – 13 September 2015 Leader Ed Miliband Harriet Harman (acting) Preceded by John Healey Succeeded by Heidi Alexander In office 11 May 2010 – 8 October 2010 Leader Harriet Harman (acting) Ed Miliband Preceded by Andrew Lansley Succeeded by John Healey Shadow Secretary of State for Education In office 8 October 2010 – 7 October 2011 Leader Ed Miliband Preceded by Ed Balls Succeeded by Stephen Twigg
Junior ministerial offices Minister of State for Health In office 5 May 2006 – 28 June 2007 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by Jane Kennedy Succeeded by Ben Bradshaw Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs In office 9 May 2005 – 5 May 2006 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by Caroline Flint Succeeded by Joan Ryan
Member of Parliament for Leigh
In office 7 June 2001 – 3 May 2017
Preceded by	Lawrence Cunliffe
Succeeded by	Jo Platt
Personal details
Born	Andrew Murray Burnham (1970-01-07) 7 January 1970 (age 55) Fazakerley, Liverpool, England
Political party	Labour Co-op
Spouse	Marie-France van Heel
Children	3
Alma mater	St Aelred's Catholic High School University of Cambridge
Signature

Andrew Murray Burnham (born 7 January 1970) is a British politician. He has been the Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. Before this, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Leigh from 2001 to 2017. He also held important jobs in the UK government. These included Chief Secretary to the Treasury (2007–2008), Culture Secretary (2008–2009), and Health Secretary (2009–2010). He is a member of the Labour Co-op party.

Early Life and Education

Andrew Murray Burnham was born on 7 January 1970 in Aintree, near Liverpool, England. His father was a telephone engineer and his mother was a receptionist. He grew up in Culcheth.

He went to St Lewis Catholic Primary School and St Aelred's Roman Catholic High School. Later, he studied English at the University of Cambridge. He was a student at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.

Political Career

Burnham joined the Labour Party when he was 15 years old. Before becoming an MP, he worked as a researcher for politician Tessa Jowell. He also worked for the NHS Confederation and as an administrator for the Football Task Force. From 1998 to 2001, he was a special adviser to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Chris Smith.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In 2001, Andy Burnham was elected as the MP for Leigh. An MP is a person elected to represent a specific area (constituency) in the House of Commons. This is where laws are made for the UK. He was elected with a large majority of votes.

As an MP, he was part of the Health Select Committee. He also worked as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to senior government ministers.

Working in Government (2005–2010)

After the 2005 election, Prime Minister Tony Blair promoted Burnham to a government role. He became an Under-Secretary of State in the Home Office. In 2006, he became a Minister of State for Health.

When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in 2007, Burnham was promoted to the Cabinet. The Cabinet is a group of senior ministers who lead government departments.

Key Cabinet Roles

• Chief Secretary to the Treasury (2007–2008): In this role, he helped manage the country's money.
• Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (2008–2009): He was in charge of culture, media, and sports. He spoke about the Hillsborough disaster in Parliament. This led to a new inquiry into the tragedy.
• Secretary of State for Health (2009–2010): He became the Health Secretary. He led the government's response to the 2009 swine flu pandemic. He also started an independent inquiry into serious problems at Stafford Hospital.

Andy Burnham as Health Secretary in 2009.

Working in Opposition (2010–2017)

After the Labour Party lost the 2010 general election, Andy Burnham ran to become the leader of the Labour Party. He came fourth in the election.

He then served in the Shadow Cabinet, which is the opposition party's team of spokespeople.

• Shadow Secretary of State for Health (2010): He continued to work on health issues.
• Shadow Secretary of State for Education (2010–2011): He was responsible for education matters for the opposition.
• Shadow Secretary of State for Health (2011–2015): He returned to his role focusing on health.

Burnham speaking at an NHS conference in 2014.

In 2015, he ran for Labour Party leader again. He came second to Jeremy Corbyn. After this, he became the Shadow Home Secretary. In this role, he spoke out strongly about the Hillsborough disaster in Parliament. He called for those responsible to be held accountable.

Burnham giving a speech at the Labour Party conference in 2016.

Mayor of Greater Manchester (2017–Present)

Burnham campaigning for mayor in 2016.

Becoming Mayor

In 2016, Andy Burnham decided to run for the new role of Mayor of Greater Manchester. He was chosen as the Labour candidate. He then stepped down as an MP.

On 5 May 2017, he was elected as the first Mayor of Greater Manchester. He won with 63% of the votes. He was re-elected in 2021 and again in 2024.

Key Focus Areas as Mayor

• Homelessness: A major focus of his campaign was tackling homelessness. He pledged to donate part of his salary to charities helping homeless people. He aimed to end rough sleeping in Greater Manchester.
• Public Transport: He has worked to improve public transport in Manchester. He aims to bring the bus network back under public control by 2025. This would create a system similar to London's.
• COVID-19 Pandemic: During the COVID-19 pandemic, he spoke up for local communities in the North of England. He argued for more financial support for businesses and workers. The media called him the "King of the North" for his efforts.

Political Views

Andy Burnham joined the Labour Party at 15. He describes himself as a socialist. This means he believes in fairness and helping everyone in society. He supports policies that share wealth more evenly. He is against nationalism, which he calls an "ugly brand of politics."

He supports giving more power to local areas, like Greater Manchester. He believes this helps cities grow and improve. He often talks about the need for more investment in the North of England.

Burnham (left) meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer in July 2024.

He supports LGBT rights and voted for same-sex marriage. He also supports bringing railways back into public ownership. He believes in a universal graduate tax instead of student tuition fees. He has also suggested a National Care Service, which would integrate care services into the National Health Service.

Personal Life

Andy Burnham is married to Marie-France van Heel. They have a son and two daughters. He was raised as a Roman Catholic.

He is a big fan of rugby league and football. He supports Premier League football club Everton. He even played a short game for a football team called Leigh RMI in 2003. He was also the president of the Rugby Football League from 2018 to 2019.

Images for kids

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  Andy Burnham's signature.