I knew Burham and yes he is charming, and knows it.
Starmer would be a good foreign secretary, but I suppose it would be a hard ask, but nice if they could actually put the country first for a change.
2 Likes
Could Starmer’s self-esteem take stepping down as PM and then becoming Foreign Sec? I do see him in an international role in the future though.
2 Likes
I thought it sad that at the recent G7 Starmer was treated as dead man walking by some of his counterparts.
1 Like
Did he?
Makerfield is a safe Labour seat having returned a Labour MP since its creation in 1983.
In 2024 Reform won 12,803 votes (out of 40,263 turnout which was 52.5%), the latest result was 15,696 and an increase in the share of the vote from 31.8% to 34.5%
So Nige has something to crow about unfortunately.
In fact the total RW vote currently stands at 19804 which is significantly higher than pre 2015 elections. It’s not quite the highest which was 21031 in 2019 for the combination of the Brexit party and the Tories but there is an upward trend and also a trend to more extreme RW parties having ousted the Tories and pushed them into a very poor fourth place.
In fact if you factor out the current Labour leadership brouhaha I don’t think it is a very comfortable situation for Labour. They have gone from winning comfortably in a constituency where the Tories consistently came second with 15-30% of the vote to one where the right wing is getting over 40% of the vote and it is close to the point where the only thing that is keeping Labour hanging on is the fact that the vote is split (currently between Reform and Restore with a tiny number of Tory die hards).
1 Like
I Starmer has chucked the towel in. Et tu Andy eh?
1 Like
I read this as a suggestion (and commented here) a week ago.
He seems more interested in that sort of thing - and has the skills for it - than being PM.
Good luck to Starmer, he can’t now be blamed for any ills the party suffers in the coming years. It will be interesting to see whether Rayner or Streeting stand against Burnham but at least it will be sorted before the summer recess.
A very dignified resignation speech. Now if Donald . . .
2 Likes
And here we go again
, why can’t they just get on with running the country instead of knifing each other in the back?, stupid, selfish people 
2 Likes
Shouldn’t this be in the Politics section?
2 Likes
Not a chance. Farage wouldn’t either (and given the structure of his “party” I’ll bet he couldn’t be ousted as leader if he were PM, even if the whole edifice was crashing down around his ears).
That said (would Farage turn up if he were PM? He has something of a record of absenteeism.
Fixed.
2 Likes
Looks like Streeting isn’t going to stand, having just backed Burnham.
A coronation?
Ian Dunt in the i:
Imagine if leaders had to rely on the force of argument and strength of evidence to push reforms and win parliamentary votes, not crude arm-twisting, patronage and party loyalty. This might also help break the toxic tribalism that prevents much-needed reform in areas such as social care, planning, prisons and drugs.
Well done Sir Keir,
Such a pity he made such a Horlicks of a wonderful majority.
I wonder how long Andy will be given before the knives come out ?
About two years based on the current half-life of prime ministers.
David Allen Green, the legal commentator, has pointed out that Starmer has resigned as leader of the party but not yet as PM. There’s another stage to go.
By the newspapers? I expect next Sunday’s fron’t pages on the Telegraph, Mail, Express, etc… will be negative towards Burnham.
1 Like
So he’ll last until the next General Election then, because even the PLP wouldn’t be mad enough to replace him at that point.