He has done it! The toolmakers son has resigned!

I know there is a no swearing thing on here but can I just add that Steve Bray is a complete arse. I was a remainer but honestly if that is an example of remainers I will absolutely become a Brexiteer. It is utterly embarrassing behaviour particularly if shown on the world stage.

Spinnaker

Bit late to the party thread but I'm on holiday in Cyprus. Sat on the flight yesterday DH and I agreed that whilst we're on holiday then politics was off the agenda. That is until the announcement was made today that Starmer had stood down. The universal cheers that went up around the poolside spoke volumes - not just the Brits but also our European friends, many of who agreed that it was good for the UK. My God, the amount of champagne bottles that suddenly started appearing was a sight to behold.

Hey ho, off to get ready for dinner - have a great evening everyone 😂

Interesting!
Enjoy your politics free hols😃

Maremia

Gosh MaizieD, forgot all about how close that election was.
How much did Theresa May 'donate' to NI, to ensure the DUP vote?

It was millions and completely wasted as they dumped her anyway!

Well said Bluebell & Maybee.
I completely agree with you both.
I feel deeply saddened for Sir Keir.

Spinnaker

Bit late to the party thread but I'm on holiday in Cyprus. Sat on the flight yesterday DH and I agreed that whilst we're on holiday then politics was off the agenda. That is until the announcement was made today that Starmer had stood down. The universal cheers that went up around the poolside spoke volumes - not just the Brits but also our European friends, many of who agreed that it was good for the UK. My God, the amount of champagne bottles that suddenly started appearing was a sight to behold.

Hey ho, off to get ready for dinner - have a great evening everyone 😂

I do find that odd given that actually on the European stage Starmer was popular and some of the comments from leaders in these countries appears sincere and heartfelt.

BlueBelle

I m sorry I think Starmer is a man of integrity and clear headedness
He wasn’t dynamite or entertaining he was probably boring and staid after clowns and far right shenanigans but I do believe he was a decent man who should have had longer

Please don’t apologise. It’s so rare to get a fair minded, level headed politician of integrity.

MayBee70 I think Corbyn would have won if he had been remain.

Another "Brexit" disaster in my opinion.

BlueBelle

I m sorry I think Starmer is a man of integrity and clear headedness
He wasn’t dynamite or entertaining he was probably boring and staid after clowns and far right shenanigans but I do believe he was a decent man who should have had longer

And, according to my MP that is what non Labour voters are saying. Labour need to remember that they’re not just representing their supporters which doesn’t mean just pandering to Reform voters. As someone said on tv it’s actually more difficult having a government with a large majority because MP’s can safely go against the party leader because there is such a huge safety net. I personally think that in three years time Trump will be gone, hopefully the Middle East should have settled down and people would have been seeing their lives improving which would have taken away some of the grievances of Reform supporters ( and I think Reform were imploding anyway). And then Labour would have been re elected and real change would happen. But we’ll never know now unless ( and this wouldn’t surprise me) Burnham just continues with the improvements that Labour under Keir are doing but gets the credit for it. At least now there is finally being some scrutiny by the media of what Keir has achieved. The thought of Keir facing Badenoch on Wednesday is making me feel the way I used to when I had to go to school to face the school bullies. She and the Reform mob will be loving it. Still, I might be pleasantly surprised and Badenoch will be gracious towards him.

Bit late to the party thread but I'm on holiday in Cyprus. Sat on the flight yesterday DH and I agreed that whilst we're on holiday then politics was off the agenda. That is until the announcement was made today that Starmer had stood down. The universal cheers that went up around the poolside spoke volumes - not just the Brits but also our European friends, many of who agreed that it was good for the UK. My God, the amount of champagne bottles that suddenly started appearing was a sight to behold.

Hey ho, off to get ready for dinner - have a great evening everyone 😂

Cossy

People should remember this day.

I certainly hope those that Starmer brought to power are happy and for the sake of the LP and our country I do hope AB has something truly magical to pull out of his hat!

Thank you Sir Keir, you are a good man and I’m sorry you were not given the chance to finish what you started!

My thoughts exactly. The L Party may well regret what they have plotted.

MaizieD

^Burnham will still have to follow the party's mandate.^

And what might that mandate be? Please tell us...

?
This.
labour.org.uk/updates/stories/labour-manifesto-2024-sign-up/

Gosh MaizieD, forgot all about how close that election was.
How much did Theresa May 'donate' to NI, to ensure the DUP vote?

MaizieD

^Burnham will still have to follow the party's mandate.^

And what might that mandate be? Please tell us...

Your not the only one referencing the mandate
Plenty of political commentators ( not the bbc, Sky etc talking heads) but people who really understand politics have put forward that there never was a mandate
.

I m sorry I think Starmer is a man of integrity and clear headedness
He wasn’t dynamite or entertaining he was probably boring and staid after clowns and far right shenanigans but I do believe he was a decent man who should have had longer

AGAA4

I blame the Tories for this. It was unheard of for a party to get rid of so many PMs. It seems to have become the norm.
Keir Starmer was handed a poisoned chalice with those who voted for him expecting a lot more than any PM could possibly deliver.
His chancellor was a very poor choice I believe too.
In two years Labour have achieved to improve some things but not enough press attention to any successes.
Starmer is a decent man with little charisma which has not helped him.
Those with charisma like Farage are anything but decent.
I'm sorry to see Starmer go. I didn't vote Labour and at one time was a Tory but they let me down far more than Starmer has done.

Even if KS had served his full 5 years, he still wouldn’t have achieved all he wanted.

He wasn’t incompetent, he wasn’t a “failure”, he didn’t lose “most people’s” support when he and Rayner and his entire office took the knee.

He was a very safe, calm pair of hands, he did achieve (along with his team) many positive things, he was a man with integrity.

He trusted too many people, he didn’t ensure his comms teams were on top of things, he probably should have replaced RR. He ignored much of the media criticism instead of directly challenging them.

He had a very shaky start to his term, the riots didn’t help, then once the media stuck the knife in, it happened time and time again and he was never going to recover.

Nothing has changed except we will have a new PM.

All the same economic issues will be here, Reform and Restore will still be here, none of the “wars” have been resolved, we’ll still have shortages of Nurses/Doctors/Police etc. nothing has changed, inroads have been made with AS etc but all the things started by Starmer need to continue.

Time will tell. I’m waiting to see before I judge AB, but for me he’s not made the best impression.

Ladyleftfieldlover

Maybe the heat is getting to me, but I have a slight crush on Andy Burnham.

That should lighten the mood a little on this increasingly rancorous thread!

Not for me. I’d be happy if he stopped wearing a black shirt though. It has unpleasant connotations to do with the right wing fascists that I learned about in history.

NotSpaghetti

Tony Blair was the person who really took the labour party "to the right" in my opinion.

Of course it was Blair’s New Labour govt which was far more centralist than previous Labour governments.

Burnham will still have to follow the party's mandate.

And what might that mandate be? Please tell us...

foxie48

I think the right wing media played quite a large part and no doubt AB will receive the same treatment. Iam64 The voters seem to prefer style over substance, Keir lacked charisma and is probably too bureaucratic to get things done quickly. However he's been painted as incompetent and IMO that is a very harsh criticism. I also think that Reeves as Chancellor was a poor decision but he's certainly not the worst PM we've ever had but the media has done him no favours. I'm still astounded that the likes of Nathan Gill and Farage's £5million have attracted so little mention in the press!

It’s not so much Starmer who doesn’t get things done quickly enough, and is too bureaucratic, I think it’s more our legislation and systems don’t really lend themselves to urgency.

MayBee70

MaizieD

ronib

But will the population want to hear Burnham’s messages? What is his mandate to impose his changes?

What was Starmer's mandate to take the LP to the right and try to win Reform voters? (which resulted in hundreds of party members leaving)

When was the last time the electorate voted for a left wing government? They were offered it under Corbyn he lost two elections (had Keir have lost an election I’m pretty sure he would have stood down as leader…).

I certainly don't think they voted for a right wing government when they voted Labour in 2024.

And don't forget that Corbyn very nearly beat May in 2017. It was only her deal with the DUP that enabled her to form a government.

Tony Blair was the person who really took the labour party "to the right" in my opinion.

MaizieD

ronib

But will the population want to hear Burnham’s messages? What is his mandate to impose his changes?

What was Starmer's mandate to take the LP to the right and try to win Reform voters? (which resulted in hundreds of party members leaving)

Labour would not have been elected as the government if they had pursued a more left agenda, it’s as simple as that. Winning voters is the only way to success, and voters are largely centre.

I’m not sure what ronib means by Burnham’s mandate of changes, his mandate is already there, it’s to deliver on the manifesto, there’s room for a change if people in top jobs, and in the style of the government, but not in the goals.

PS Ladyleftfieldlover, Burnham is not too shabby looking, that is true .

MaizieD

ronib

But will the population want to hear Burnham’s messages? What is his mandate to impose his changes?

What was Starmer's mandate to take the LP to the right and try to win Reform voters? (which resulted in hundreds of party members leaving)

When was the last time the electorate voted for a left wing government? They were offered it under Corbyn he lost two elections (had Keir have lost an election I’m pretty sure he would have stood down as leader…).

*Brexit

MaizieD

ronib

But will the population want to hear Burnham’s messages? What is his mandate to impose his changes?

What was Starmer's mandate to take the LP to the right and try to win Reform voters? (which resulted in hundreds of party members leaving)

Interesting question. I wonder if anybody will attempt an answer.