Andy Burnham blocked from re-entering parliament.

sundowngirl

Casdon

fancythat

Is there anyone anywhere who likes Sir Kier Starmer as Labour Leader now?
Either a Labour voter or a non Labour voter?

He is still up there in the Best Prime Minister for the UK polls carried out by YouGov every month, so yes, there are many people who still think so, I think it’s his performance on the international relations side that is protecting his popularity.

I’m a little confused Casdon. The YouGov poll that I saw for end of December showed only 15% thought Keir Starmer was doing well as PM and 73% said he was doing badly.
Have you seen a different poll?

This is the January Poll from YouGov*sundowngirl*.
yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/53845-who-would-be-the-best-prime-minister-january-2026

Although Starmer may be a good statesman he is no leader, he has no passion but I dont see any alternative leader certainly not Rayner that would be a disaster.
The imperative to get the Tories out of power has backfire badly for the UK, electing a lot of "also ran" lightweights that wont back their leader.
Dark days for politics in the UK

vegansrock

A mayoral election costs over £3m - would this be a good use of public money?

I’m sure Reform would think it is. They’re the ones that are gaining from all of this infighting and division.

A mayoral election costs over £3m - would this be a good use of public money?

sundowngirl

www.ipsos.com/en-uk/britons-narrowly-split-between-labour-led-keir-starmer-and-reform-uk-led-nigel-farage-poll-reveals

Don’t do Mumsnet any more. Brutal 😁

Some very interesting posts on this topic over on Mumsnet. Not a lot of love for Burnham, and plenty of acknowledgement that this is not the right time for a leadership battle in government.

Casdon

fancythat

Is there anyone anywhere who likes Sir Kier Starmer as Labour Leader now?
Either a Labour voter or a non Labour voter?

He is still up there in the Best Prime Minister for the UK polls carried out by YouGov every month, so yes, there are many people who still think so, I think it’s his performance on the international relations side that is protecting his popularity.

I’m a little confused Casdon. The YouGov poll that I saw for end of December showed only 15% thought Keir Starmer was doing well as PM and 73% said he was doing badly.
Have you seen a different poll?

MayBee70

I really don’t understand why, when the world is in such an unstable state and it’s almost impossible to believe what’s happening in America that there are people in the Labour Party that are desperate for a leadership election. It’s no wonder that Labour are very rarely in power.

Agreed MayBee!

I’m furious with them.

I agree Mamie

What a shambles.

MayBee70

Mamie

The disruption to Greater Manchester and the risk of Reform winning the Mayoral election seem to be the main reasons cited. I do think it is important to look at the bigger picture. Given the mess that Reform is making in Local and County Councils I would think the citizens of Manchester have got lucky. Plus the fact that the last thing the Government needs is for media and social media to ignore serious national and international issues in favour of toxic gossip about leadership campaigns.

I agree.

Me too.

butterandjam

Labour would risk losing both the Mayoral re=election AND the parliamentary by-election, and Reform taking both.

Quite, which is why the NEC’s decision is obviously sound.

I really don’t understand why, when the world is in such an unstable state and it’s almost impossible to believe what’s happening in America that there are people in the Labour Party that are desperate for a leadership election. It’s no wonder that Labour are very rarely in power.

Labour would risk losing both the Mayoral re=election AND the parliamentary by-election, and Reform taking both.

He can stand as an Independent, but that would mean he’d have to fund the campaign, assuming there is an election. I don’t think putting himself forward was the right thing to do (although I would like to see him in power) but I do think he should have been able to stand. It should be the voters who decide who leads them.

Even if he got into the pond. He might not have done.

I wonder if he can appeal?

kittylester

Boz

I like AB and he has been done a favour.
He would have lost at Gorton and really been out in the cold.

Also,who in their right mind would want to be leader of Labour at this moment of time.

Keep steady with what you have Mr.Burnham and try to keep Reform out of Manchester.

I totally agree with this.

Probably the best that could happen.

"It is better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond" faced with a lot of enemies.

Boz

I like AB and he has been done a favour.
He would have lost at Gorton and really been out in the cold.

Also,who in their right mind would want to be leader of Labour at this moment of time.

Keep steady with what you have Mr.Burnham and try to keep Reform out of Manchester.

I totally agree with this.

sixandahalf

Primrose53

Fallingstar

Anniebach

Quote Fallingstar Sun 25-Jan-26 15:29:41
It is not in Starmer’s interest because Burnham is a popular grass roots Labour politician whose values strike a chord with those now feeling disaffected by the Labour party.

If a popular grassroots Labour politician why did he lose to Corbyn in labour leadership?

Who knows?
Corbyn had a hard core of younger voters who voted for him in a way they haven’t voted for anyone before or since.
In any case there is no act of limitations here, losing once doesn’t mean a person can’t run again.

The young who did manage to get up to vote voted because he promised them everything on a plate. They were also hyped up at Glasto when they were all stoned and wailing “ooh Jeremy Corbyn”. 🤣

I feel desperately sorry for young people. My daughter for one. Her contemporaries are decent, hard working folk who care about others. They are appalled by pound shop Trump and his ilk.

She has never wailed at Glasto.

Nor has mine, as far as I know, sixandahalf. She (and my son) and their friends are far from the people so often moaned about on here. They are caring, kindly people who work hard and don't deserve to be written off in the way many older people do. they have never expected things to be handed to them on a plate - far from it. They have paid high rents, student fees and inflated house prices, financed by working long hours and studying.

Both are willing to give people of all ages respect, and resist the temptation to generalise about them. I really wish they were offered the same in return.

MayBee. 👏👏👏👏

It was Burnham who decided not to stand in the 2017 election because he was offered something better. It was his decision not to be an MP. Imo he's an opportunist and I don't trust him. Farage is looming because people keep slagging off Starmer and don't even give him credit for the things he has achieved. Eg making an unelectable party electable.

I don't think it was the norm for parties to change into the party they'd just been opposing when they got into government, either, Maybee

I think it would be foolish to limp on for the next three years with a deeply unpopular PM (who only gets the 'Best PM' rating because of the alternative choices) who hasn't changed anything.

The economy is stagnant and there is no prospect of it improving if that pursue their current economic policies. A bit of rapprochement with the EU might improve our exports a little, but it isn't going to be a silver bullet.

Do I need to recite the rest again?

I think Starmer is generally good on the international side (though questionable over Gaza) but his government is poor and shows little sign of improving.

Farage looms on the near horizon...

fancythat

Is there anyone anywhere who likes Sir Kier Starmer as Labour Leader now?
Either a Labour voter or a non Labour voter?

I voted for Labour with Keir Starmer as leader and just as I believe that if an MP switches party there should be a by election I don't think a party has a right to just switch an elected leader. As I keep saying, it wasn't the norm to just change party leader until the Conservatives started doing it. The fact is he made an unelectable Labour party under Corbyn electable and is having the sort of world wide crises that very few PM's have had to deal with and is handling it admirably imo. Any division in the party is just going to pave the way for a Reform government and then people really will have something to moan about. Lets not forget that Corbyn was a closet brexiteer when he was party leader.

Primrose53

Fallingstar

Anniebach

Quote Fallingstar Sun 25-Jan-26 15:29:41
It is not in Starmer’s interest because Burnham is a popular grass roots Labour politician whose values strike a chord with those now feeling disaffected by the Labour party.

If a popular grassroots Labour politician why did he lose to Corbyn in labour leadership?

Who knows?
Corbyn had a hard core of younger voters who voted for him in a way they haven’t voted for anyone before or since.
In any case there is no act of limitations here, losing once doesn’t mean a person can’t run again.

The young who did manage to get up to vote voted because he promised them everything on a plate. They were also hyped up at Glasto when they were all stoned and wailing “ooh Jeremy Corbyn”. 🤣

I feel desperately sorry for young people. My daughter for one. Her contemporaries are decent, hard working folk who care about others. They are appalled by pound shop Trump and his ilk.

She has never wailed at Glasto.