India, June 25 -- Andy Burnham took a step closer to becoming Britain's next prime minister without a contest on Wednesday when Cabinet minister Darren Jones, touted as a possible rival, said he would not run. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer, seeking to secure a legacy before he leaves office, faces the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session in Parliament before flying to Berlin to meet European allies for talks on Ukraine and West Asia.

Starmer announced his plan to resign on Monday and will be out of office within weeks once the governing Labour Party picks a new leader. Jones, a Starmer ally, had been encouraged to run so that Burnham faces a test of his ideas and policies in front of Labour lawmakers and members. Others argue that a leade...