Britain is choosing its next prime minister, and this page tracks the whole process — who's running, what the rules are, and every date that matters. We update it as the contest moves; the "Updated" date at the top tells you how current it is. * How we got here: Keir Starmer resigned as leader of the Labour Party on June 22, 2026, triggering a leadership contest inside the governing party. Whoever wins doesn't just get the party — with Labour in government, they get Downing Street. * The state of the race (July 10, 2026): it may not be much of a race. Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor turned MP, declared first, had the backing of over 200 Labour MPs within days of Starmer's announcement, and collected 322 formal nominations on July 9 — the first day they opened. The bar to make the ballot is 81 MPs. Every other name seriously floated has ruled out, most recently former defence minister Al Carns, who confirmed on July 8 that he will not stand. * The rules, in plain English: - To reach the ballot, a candidate needs nominations from 20% of Labour MPs — 81 of 403 — plus either 5% of constituency Labour parties or three affiliated organisations (at least two of them trade unions) representing 5% of the affiliated membership. - Nominations opened July 9 and close July 16. - If two or more candidates qualify, Labour members and affiliated supporters vote by preferential ballot (the alternative vote) between August 6 and 27, with the result announced August 29 — two days before Parliament returns on September 1. - If only one candidate qualifies, they are elected unopposed: no ballot, no August campaign, a new prime minister weeks early. * What to watch next: July 16 is the real decision point. If nominations close with only Burnham's name on the paper, the contest ends there. If a challenger somehow finds 81 MPs in a parliamentary party where Burnham already has 322, the summer gets considerably more interesting.