Andy Burnham

Andrew Murray Burnham (born 7 January 1970) is a British Labour Party politician serving as Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. He served as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from 2008 to 2009 and Secretary of State for Health from 2009 to 2010. Burnham served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Leigh from 2001 to 2017. Born in the Old Roan area of Aintree, Lancashire, Burnham was educated at comprehensive schools and graduated with a degree in English from Fitzwilliam College at the University of Cambridge. He worked as a researcher for Tessa Jowell from 1994 to 1997, then worked for the NHS Confederation in 1997 and as an administrator for the Football Task Force in 1998. The same year, he became a special adviser to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Chris Smith, a position he held until 2001. After the retirement of Lawrence Cunliffe, the Labour MP for Leigh, Burnham was elected to succeed him in 2001. He was a member of the Health Select Committee from 2001 until 2003, then serving as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Home Secretary David Blunkett until 2004, when he became PPS to Education Secretary Ruth Kelly. He was promoted to serve in the Government after the 2005 election as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Home Office. In 2006, Burnham was moved to become a Minister of State at the Department of Health. When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in 2007, Burnham was promoted to Chief Secretary to the Treasury, a position he held until 2008, when he became Culture Secretary. In 2009, he was promoted again to become Health Secretary. In that role, he opposed further privatisation of National Health Service services and launched an independent inquiry into the Stafford Hospital scandal. After the Labour Party's defeat in the 2010 general election, Burnham was a candidate in the 2010 Labour leadership election, coming fourth out of five candidates. The contest was won by Ed Miliband. Burnham served as Shado