But The POLITICO Poll finds that many UK adults didn’t want Burnham to be appointed leader, even though many were on board with him ultimately becoming prime minister.
Just 1 in 5 UK adults said Burnham should be immediately made Labor leader — and thus prime minister — if he won last week’s Makerfield by-election for a seat in Parliament, which he did.
Instead, a 54 percent majority of adults said there should be a leadership contest, even if it means going many months without knowing who will serve as prime minister. That view is fairly consistent across party lines, with 57 percent of Labor voters supporting the idea of a leadership contest instead of Burnham being elevated immediately.
The poll was conducted by London-based Public First shortly before the Makerfield by-election. Its results suggest that while UK voters were eager for new leadership — souring on Starmer’s handling of key issues like the economy and immigration — they were less keen on taking a shortcut to installing a new prime minister and not holding a leadership contest.