Andy Burnham has received the support of a further 27 Labour MPs, making his route to becoming Prime Minister one step closer.

Under Labour's rules, leadership candidates need 20 per of the party's MPs - 81 out of a total of 403 - to nominate them. With 349 officially backing Burnham, it means no rival candidate can now be nominated.

According to rules, he still requires the backing of three organisations affiliated to the Labour Party, at least two of which must be trade unions.

If all goes to plan, he could be announced as leader of the Labour Party on Friday and then become Prime Minister on Monday (20 July).

Congleton MP, Sarah Russell, whose constituency includes Sandbach and Alsager, previously backed Burnham saying she felt "really hopeful".

"My priority is ensuring that our area is prosperous and has good public services – and I want the same for the country as a whole," she said previously.

"Andy's promise of a Number 10 North is really positive for our communities. He has a talked publicly about wanting to work more cross-party and with business – all of which I support.

"The Labour government has already delivered on our promises to stabilise the economy, increase investment in public services, and improved Britain's standing on the world stage.

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"Andy can build on these achievements, renew our emphasis on tackling the cost of living crisis, and continue to deliver on our 2024 manifesto commitments.