2010 Labour Party Leadership Election
Following the resignation of Gordon Brown as Leader of the Labour Party after the 2010 general election, Andy Burnham declared his intention to stand in the subsequent Labour leadership contest. He launched his leadership campaign in his Leigh constituency on 26 May. Burnham led on his philosophy of "aspirational socialism", aligning himself with Intern Aware's campaign to end unpaid internships. He also made key policy commitments to the creation of a National Care Service and also called for inheritance tax to be replaced with a land value tax instead. The leadership contest was eventually won by Ed Miliband. Burnham finished fourth.
Until after the Shadow Cabinet election, Burnham continued in his role as Shadow Health Secretary, and at the end of September 2010 he openly criticised new Prime Minister David Cameron for the Tory-Lib Dem Coalition Government's public spending cuts and health reforms to the NHS.
In the new Shadow Cabinet under Ed Miliband, Burnham was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Election Co-ordinator for the Labour Party.
Read more about this topic: Andy Burnham
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