Burnham served as the Mayor of Greater Manchester for nine years prior to his emerging as frontrunner to succeed former PM Keir Starmer, who struggled with internal divisions and low poll ratings during most of his premiership.
Andy Burnham became the UK's prime minister on Monday after King Charles III invited him to form a government. In his first speech as premier, Burnham vowed to usher in a new era of stability and end crises which has seen six prime ministers before him come and go within the last 10 years.
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After some time away, Burnham now returns to parliament, with a desire and expectation to steady a swaying Labour ship, which has failed to deliver on many of its campaign promises in the July 2024 general election.
Burnham, who in June won the Makerfield by-election with a whopping 55% of the votes, defeating challengers from Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. Following his win, Burnham famously warned his Labour Party that it had one "final chance to change".
Here's a closer look at the new Makerfield MP.
Early life and career
Burnham was born on Merseyside in the northwest of England and was raised in the village of Culcheth in Cheshire.
He previously noted that he was first inspired to enter politics after watching "Boys From The Blackstuff," an acclaimed 1982 TV show about five unemployed men in Liverpool navigating Margaret Thatcher's Britain.
"I remember watching every episode with my parents," Burnham told GQ magazine in 2019. "That was when I knew that I had to do something".
The lifelong Everton football fan would go on to study English at the University of Cambridge before starting out in journalism, working for trade publications such as Container Management, Passenger Rail Management and Tank World.
Burnham made the switch to politics in his early 20s, taking a job as a researcher for the late Tessa Jowell, a former MP for Dulwich.
By 2001, he had been elected as an MP himself for the Greater Manchester constituency of Leigh, a seat he held until 2017.
During that time, he served in a number of senior ministerial positions, including as Secretary of State for Health and Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Burnham, who shares three children with his Dutch wife, Marie-France van Heelthen, then took over as the Mayor of Greater Manchester, overseeing huge development of the area.
The city of Manchester in particular has become one of the UK's trendiest spots under his reign, with palpable growth evidenced through rapidly appearing skyscrapers and a well-documented "buzz" around the streets.
He remained in that role right up until Thursday's vote, making him the longest serving in that positions, and where he admitted that it was with "some sadness" that his election would bring an end to his "wonderful nine years" in office.
"This city region has given so much to me, and it is a wrench to leave the job that I love," he said.
'Westminster Insider'
Some of Burnham's critics argue that he is a "classic Westminster insider attempting to present himself as an outsider" and that he is capable of changing his tune depending on what he thinks will suit him, with many pointing towards his fluctuating comments on Brexit as an example.
The Brexit debate has reignited in recent months as Labour figures jostled for position ahead of the leadership showdown, and Burnham's previous call for the UK to rejoin the bloc came under the spotlight in his by-election campaign.
Addressing the issue, Burnham said that while he still believed Brexit had been costly to the UK, he did not think it was the right time to re-open the debate.
"My view is that Brexit has been damaging," Burnham said in May. "But I also believe the last thing we should do right now is re-run those arguments."
Instead, Burnham has pledged to back British businesses and industries, and put an end to trickle-down economics, stressing to supporters on Friday that he would be a "member of parliament for everybody, however they voted".
"We have an opportunity to turn the tide," he said. "To make the country feel like it's working again. To make people see that politics can make a positive difference. To make people feel hope again".
Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe congratulated Burnham on his win, "Andy Burnham won an overwhelming victory," he noted.
"It is only fair to recognise that and congratulate him and his team. An impressive campaign, particularly their effort on the ground yesterday in Makerfield which was vast. Fair enough," added Lowe.