Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, is on track to become Labour leader without the party running a leadership election. No other candidate has put themselves forward.

Senior Labour figures including Lucy Powell and Steve Reed say the party prefers to appoint Burnham directly rather than hold a contested race, according to BBC News. Burnham recently returned to Parliament as an MP for Makerfield in the north-west. He is planning a major speech on Monday that will be his first address to Parliament as an MP, rather than as a mayor.

Labour's rules make this possible. If only one person enters the race, Burnham would be confirmed as leader without needing to be voted on by party members, PBS NewsHour reported. The party's decision-makers have written the rules this way, and it appears they plan to use them.

Not everyone agrees with this plan. Some Labour MPs think Burnham's ideas should be challenged and tested through a proper election contest, the Guardian reported. So far, though, no one has stepped up to run against him.

Burnham has been mayor since 2017. Party rules say anyone who wants to be leader must be an MP, which is why returning to Parliament was so important to him. Makerfield is a safe Labour seat, which means Labour candidates are very likely to win there.

There are reasons to be cautious about appointing a leader without a contest. It happened before: Gordon Brown became Labour leader without opposition in 2007, but questions about his legitimacy followed him throughout his time as Prime Minister. On the other hand, two heavily contested Labour elections — in 2015 and 2016 — left the party badly divided afterwards. Labour's leadership seems to think skipping a contest this time is the safer choice.

One thing could still change things. An MP could stand for leader simply to force a real debate about Labour's direction, without expecting to win. This has happened in the past — candidates enter specifically to shape the conversation. The door is still open for this until nominations close, though no one has said they plan to do it.

Burnham's speech on Monday will be important. A strong performance could settle the matter quickly. A weaker one might encourage someone to stand against him.

Right now, everything points towards Burnham becoming leader without opposition. Senior Labour figures support it, the rules allow it, and no rival has come forward. Unless someone enters the race at the last minute, Burnham will become leader without a vote from party members — which suits those who want Labour to focus on the country rather than internal politics, but troubles those who think the party deserves to hear from different candidates.