Voters in Manchester choose mayor to replace Andy Burnham, who left for Downing St.

Voters in Manchester are electing a new mayor Thursday to replace Andy Burnham, who left the job to become Britain’s prime ministerByJILL LAWLESS Associated PressLONDON -- Voters in the English city of Manchester are electing a new mayor Thursday to replace Andy Burnham, who quit the job to become Britain’s prime minister.It’s also chance for some 2 million voters to pass judgment on the governing Labour Party, whose sagging popularity Burnham hopes to revive. Polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., with vote-counting starting Friday morning.Burnham was mayor of Greater Manchester for nine years until he won a special election for a seat in Parliament last month with the intention of challenging then- Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership.Burnham’s momentum spurred Starmer to announce he would resign after just two years in office. Burnham was the only candidate in Labour’s leadership election, and he became prime minister on July 20.He has established a branch of the prime minister’s office in the city, dubbed “No. 10 North,” to help fulfil his pledge to give local leaders more powers and spread economic growth around the country.The Greater Manchester re...