People gather around a black taxi in Euston this afternoon (Monday) [Simon Lamrock]

THE former Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham, was greeted by a pack of well-wishers at Euston station this lunchtime as he arrived in London and took another step closer to becoming the next prime minister.

Just hours after Holborn and St Pancras MP Sir Keir Starmer had confirmed he will be stepping down as the leader of the Labour Party at a lectern in Downing Street. Mr Burnham arrived to sign in as the new MP for Makerfield. He held off Reform to win a parliamentary by-election last week – a ballot orchestrated to get him back into the House of Commons and free to challenge for the top job.

SEE ALSO: WILL KEIR STARMER STAY ON AS MP FOR HOLBORN AND ST PANCRAS?

Mr Starmer had initially met the result of that vote by saying he would stand in any leadership contest, but was later told privately by Labour colleagues that the right thing to do was to step down. It is not clear at this stage whether Mr Starmer will also step down as the MP for the south of Camden constituency.

A bemused passenger gets off his train at Euston to find a pack of photographers on the concourse [Simon Lamrock]

Roadworks get in the way of people reaching Mr Burnham’s cab in Euston today (Monday) [Simon Lamrock]

Mr Burnham respond to Mr Starmer’s speech by tweeting: “Keir has given huge service to our country and I want to thank him for his leadership and dedication during such a challenging period. His decision marks the beginning of a transition and it is important that this process is conducted in an orderly and responsible way. I will put myself forward as part of this process. The country expects stability, seriousness and a continued focus on the issues that matter most and that is what it will get.

“As we move forward, our priority must be to work together to get the country back to where we all want it to be. People want to see progress on economic growth, cost of living, public services, housing and opportunities for the next generation. Political change should never distract from the responsibility to improve people’s lives. The Labour movement has always been at its strongest when it looks forward with confidence and purpose. This is what we will do from here and we will make sure this transition is a positive process of renewal for our party and our country.”

The warm words did not stop people responding with claims that Mr Burnham had ‘stabbed the Prime Minister in the back’.