India, July 14 -- Andy Burnham, the three-time Greater Manchester mayor who built his political reputation far from Westminster, is poised to become Britain's next prime minister as early as next week after securing the backing of 322 of Labour's 403 Members of Parliament, more than 80 per cent of the parliamentary party, on the day formal nominations opened for the leadership race to replace Keir Starmer.

The scale of support, far exceeding the 81 nominations required to stand as a formal candidate, has rendered a contest all but mathematically impossible. With every potential rival either declining to run or throwing their weight behind him, Burnham, 56, is expected to be crowned Labour's new leader at a special party conference on Jul...