Burnham said he had received nominations from 322 out of the 403 Labour members of parliament ​on the first day of nominations on Thursday, ​leaving him one short of ensuring he can ⁠be the only candidate.

“It’s all starting to feel ​very real,” Burnham said in a short video clip ​announcing he had nominated himself.

The nominations for the Labour leadership close next Thursday. Burnham is expected to be formally anointed as Labour ​leader next Friday and will be officially named ​as prime minister on July 20.

Once Burnham reaches 323 nominations, no ‌other ⁠candidate would be able to secure the backing of the 81 needed to enter the contest to replace Starmer.

Some Labour members of parliament say they were not ​able to vote ​on Thursday ⁠but will back Burnham once they return to parliament on Monday.

Burnham’s path to the ​leadership was effectively secured on Wednesday night ​when ⁠Al Carns, the former junior defence minister, said he would not stand against him.

Starmer announced his resignation last month ⁠after ​a poor performance in local elections ​in May prompted growing calls from lawmakers for a change of ​leadership and direction.