The Masonbot 2000 has gone into full head spinning, flashing lights, lasers firing off in all directions mode.
To any Labour MP thinking of challenging @Keir_Starmer - Farage/MAGA/Putin bots are driving this right now: it's all part of their strategy of tension. Don't be naïve.
So I think if I were Burnham now I’d probably see little to lose to announce a by election and play Starmer’s bluff re the NEC.
It is not a question of calling Starmer's bluff re the NEC. McSweeney's "Labour Together" and the "Labour to Win" factions, both most inappropriately named, want Streeting not Burnham to replace Starmer, and it is their people who are in control of the NEC officers. So regardless of what Starmer does, there is still an 8-1 majority amongst the NEC officers that will keep Burnham out. They will do that even if Burnham actually resigns as GM Mayor before their decision, just in order to maximise the chances of getting Sweeting elected.
In any case, all that is probably moot. Long before Burnham were to become an MP, Streeting could at any time announce that he is going to challenge Starmer. He would prefer not to be the first to jump (although in that I think he is misjudging the mood) but he will do so if it is necessary to pre-empt Burnham. If Catherine West triggers a contest he will certainly join in, and one of either Miliband or Rayner (or initially possibly both before one withdraws in favour of the other) will then stand to oppose him.
The next leader of the Labour Party is going to be someone who is already an MP.
...What have they actually achieved, beyond raising taxes on employment, VAT on school fees which costs money, public sector pay rises, welfare caps removed, and 40-week abortions?
...abolition of the concept of transsexuality, removal of the right to jury trial, removal of the right to protest, removal of access to internet pornography, restricted access to the internet, actual destruction of the Royal Navy, and - I shit you not - voluntary repatriation.
Oh, and they nearly passed a bill to kill the old and sick.
There is no abolition of the concept of trans. That is a gross misrepresentation of the SC judgement
The whole idea that one barnstorming speech from a man who does not do oratory, to say the least, will suddenly persuade millions that they don't detest him and feel he is out of his depth etc is just risible.
It 'aint like he is Obama.
You can see why his career as a barrister in private practice came to a shuddering halt to essentially become a civil servant shuffling paper about in the CPS.
He should have: 1. Removed the red lines on customs union and single market. Appeal to Remainers, LDs. 2. Announced willingness to nationalise all strategic assets where competition is impossible such as water, grid, railways, where it is in the national interest. Appeal to Polanski followers. 3. Announce that Reeves will be replaced by Milliband who will oversee a step change in defence spending. Appeal to anti-Reeves and pro defence voters. 4. Announce the cessation of all arms exports to Israel. Appeal to pro Palestinians.
Announced calmly, slowly, without shouting and fake passion. This would have moved the dial.
If not and he wants to do something memorable he should announce withdrawal from the Refugee Convention and reduction of the interest rate on student loans to zero.
...What have they actually achieved, beyond raising taxes on employment, VAT on school fees which costs money, public sector pay rises, welfare caps removed, and 40-week abortions?
...abolition of the concept of transsexuality, removal of the right to jury trial, removal of the right to protest, removal of access to internet pornography, restricted access to the internet, actual destruction of the Royal Navy, and - I shit you not - voluntary repatriation.
Oh, and they nearly passed a bill to kill the old and sick.
There is no abolition of the concept of trans. That is a gross misrepresentation of the SC judgement
They are however doing their best to ignore the SC judgement, in order to avoid a clash with a very loud minority in the activist base.
WTF do all the SPADs do all day if they dont even have 2-3 decent policies behind smash in case of emergency glass.
ID cards!
ID cards are a Home Office hobby horse aren’t they?
I suspect every department has its favourite policies that they try out on every new minister just in case they get one that’s sufficiently tractable. Usually there’s a good reason why every previous minister has said no to them...
Michael Howard said that, after every “event”, a pile of files would be bought out in the Home Office.
Things like indefinite detention without trial, warrantless mass surveillance and ID cards linked to everything.
The whole idea that one barnstorming speech from a man who does not do oratory, to say the least, will suddenly persuade millions that they don't detest him and feel he is out of his depth etc is just risible.
It 'aint like he is Obama.
You can see why his career as a barrister in private practice came to a shuddering halt to essentially become a civil servant shuffling paper about in the CPS.
Not really, Starmer was already a QC when he got the CPS job, he was a better barrister on the law than Blair for example just a far worse orator with much less charisma
You don't have to pay council tax on a narrowboat if it's your permanent residence AND you are continuous cruisers. A nice stream of selfies as they move around the system should be enough - if, of course, he has them...
Could that potentially be a second home, with DOUBLE Council Tax?
Most canal boat owners seem to want to avoid nasty things like council tax. The old 'continuous cruise' mode. Not surprised he is being found out. He lied about boob growth after all...
If not and he wants to do something memorable he should announce withdrawal from the Refugee Convention and reduction of the interest rate on student loans to zero.
Most canal boat owners seem to want to avoid nasty things like council tax. The old 'continuous cruise' mode. Not surprised he is being found out. He lied about boob growth after all...
I tend to think that if women actually thought that hypnosis would make their boobs bigger, they were not really being ripped off.
WTF do all the SPADs do all day if they dont even have 2-3 decent policies behind smash in case of emergency glass.
ID cards!
ID cards are a Home Office hobby horse aren’t they?
I suspect every department has its favourite policies that they try out on every new minister just in case they get one that’s sufficiently tractable. Usually there’s a good reason why every previous minister has said no to them...
Michael Howard said that, after every “event”, a pile of files would be bought out in the Home Office.
Things like indefinite detention without trial, warrantless mass surveillance and ID cards linked to everything.
ID cards are not a bad idea, in Antalya yesterday every German / Pole in front on me at checkin was travelling with one.
The issue is attaching them to everything - but the idea of a single card you can use to confirm that you are David Smith solves a lot of problems.
OT my Betfair balance has mysteriously risen this morning. On looking to see which PBer tipped it...
Posted August 31st:- Isam: I’d forgotten about this; Man Utd got a penalty for what Fulham had a goal disallowed for yesterday... Me: With the return of 2-tier refereeing and generous Fergie time, I am almost tempted to back Manchester United: 7/2 for a top-4 finish.
The funny thing is it took 24 hours to actually place the bet. Thanks, Isam, if you're back. Is that the aftertiming klaxon?
After this dire speech I would not be surprised to see Graham Stringer stand down and Andy Burnham announce he will stand
Over to you Starmer
Unless the NEC approves Burnham as an approved Labour Parliamentary candidate even if every Labour MP in the UK stood down except Starmer, Burnham still could not stand as a Labour candidate
If Burnham is blocked then that will trigger a revolt and a direct challenge to Starmer
Maybe but then there is a risk Streeting becomes PM who the pro Burnham Labour left hate even more than Starmer
WTF do all the SPADs do all day if they dont even have 2-3 decent policies behind smash in case of emergency glass.
ID cards!
ID cards are a Home Office hobby horse aren’t they?
I suspect every department has its favourite policies that they try out on every new minister just in case they get one that’s sufficiently tractable. Usually there’s a good reason why every previous minister has said no to them...
Michael Howard said that, after every “event”, a pile of files would be bought out in the Home Office.
Things like indefinite detention without trial, warrantless mass surveillance and ID cards linked to everything.
ID cards are not a bad idea, in Antalya yesterday every German / Pole in front on me at checkin was travelling with one.
The issue is attaching them to everything - but the idea of a single card you can use to confirm that you are David Smith solves a lot of problems.
The problem is that a simple ID card “isn’t very interesting”
I could implement one with a small team, and a not very huge budget. The big money would be in handling sign up - which I would handle through the Passport Office.
But that wouldn’t support having a new office building, a logo. Probably wouldn’t need a department to run it. No billions on contractors.
I wonder if he'll get around to announcing funding for the defence review ?
The technological and strategic factors are moving more quickly than they can move the photos of rugged looking squaddies around in the .docx
A lot of vaches sacrées/wastes of money/cherished national institutions should be going in the bin but SKS has neither the political capital nor the courage required to do it.
That is also true, and likely the only way that the UK government can start to square the funding circle is to chuck some programs in the bin.
The problem is that there aren't enough things that can be dispensed with in order to fund everything else. An increase in defence spend is necessary simply in order to avoid losing a large slice of our defence industry. Once gone, we won't get it back.
Lots of it should go. There just isn't the industrial capacity to sustain everything while delivering appropriate systems quickly. That's why it's going to take HMS Glasgow 18 years to go from contract award to commissioning. Hence running the T23s way past their design life until the few that are left barely float.
GCAP will be exactly the same. Years late and massively over-budget to the great detriment of actual defence capability.
I remember somebody from Air Command commenting in the 90s when Eurofighter was pulled back from the brink, "The good news is we've saved BAE, the bad news is we'll have keep saving it."
The primary reason our shipbuilding is so inefficient is that we have hardly built any ships for two decades.
When were these two decades?
BAE and Babcock have had many, many billions and their yards are fully occupied until the mid 2030s at a minimum. They have had more than enough investment.
Have you followed the history of the T26 and T31s ?
The amount of faffing around with successive defence reviews; design revisions; reduction in orders; deferring of delivery dates etc, defies description in a PB post.
Yes, they've had a lot of money, but they haven't delivered any frigates.
Yards are only efficient when they have long term orders for a type of which they build multiple copies. That has yet to happen.
It's expensive to keep shipbuilding capacity on life support, which is what we've been doing since forever. Now that Europe is rearming, and everyone wants new ships, we're in no great shape to deliver. But we could be.
After this dire speech I would not be surprised to see Graham Stringer stand down and Andy Burnham announce he will stand
Over to you Starmer
Unless the NEC approves Burnham as an approved Labour Parliamentary candidate even if every Labour MP in the UK stood down except Starmer, Burnham still could not stand as a Labour candidate
If Burnham is blocked then that will trigger a revolt and a direct challenge to Starmer
Maybe but then there is a risk Streeting becomes PM who the pro Burnham Labour left hate even more than Starmer
Most canal boat owners seem to want to avoid nasty things like council tax. The old 'continuous cruise' mode. Not surprised he is being found out. He lied about boob growth after all...
My stepdads Sister lived on a canal boat for years and happily avoided it. Or claimed she did.
He is starting to be found out. Good. He needs the scrutiny as does the other parties.
...What have they actually achieved, beyond raising taxes on employment, VAT on school fees which costs money, public sector pay rises, welfare caps removed, and 40-week abortions?
...abolition of the concept of transsexuality, removal of the right to jury trial, removal of the right to protest, removal of access to internet pornography, restricted access to the internet, actual destruction of the Royal Navy, and - I shit you not - voluntary repatriation.
Oh, and they nearly passed a bill to kill the old and sick.
There is no abolition of the concept of trans. That is a gross misrepresentation of the SC judgement
Post-FWS, there are now no circumstances in which a person born male is now legally the opposite sex. Opposite pronouns may be used but they (no longer?) attach to the rights or status of the opposite sex and are now purely ceremonial. The words "gender" and "sex" now mean different things.
I disagree with this wholeheartedly and also disagree with the gender critical interpretation that FWS was a clarification instead of a retcon. But regardless of what the situation was then, the question of what the situation is now has been resolved: the concept of a "sex change" now has no legal meaning in the United Kingdom.
After this dire speech I would not be surprised to see Graham Stringer stand down and Andy Burnham announce he will stand
Over to you Starmer
Unless the NEC approves Burnham as an approved Labour Parliamentary candidate even if every Labour MP in the UK stood down except Starmer, Burnham still could not stand as a Labour candidate
If Burnham is blocked then that will trigger a revolt and a direct challenge to Starmer
I cannot think of a single incentive for Starmer to let Burnham back into Parliament. If Burnham can trigger a contest from outwith the PLP, he will certainly trigger one as soon as he can when back in Parliament. Either way, Burnham will trigger a leadership contest. The only leverage Starmer has is that if Burnham triggers one now, he can't stand in it.
After this dire speech I would not be surprised to see Graham Stringer stand down and Andy Burnham announce he will stand
Over to you Starmer
Unless the NEC approves Burnham as an approved Labour Parliamentary candidate even if every Labour MP in the UK stood down except Starmer, Burnham still could not stand as a Labour candidate
If Burnham is blocked then that will trigger a revolt and a direct challenge to Starmer
Maybe but then there is a risk Streeting becomes PM who the pro Burnham Labour left hate even more than Starmer
No maybe - it will
If the Labour left could be sure they had the Labour MP nominations needed to get Burnham ally Rayner to the membership, if not then Streeting likely wins and they won't risk getting him
PM’s speech ‘devoid of big thinking’ The prime minister’s speech was “devoid of big thinking and big ideas”, the director of a cross-party campaign group has said. Neal Lawson, the director of Compass and a supporter of the potential Labour leadership challenger Andy Burnham, said: “This speech was at best sticking plaster politics. It was totally underwhelming. “Labour is losing everywhere to everyone and facing an existential crisis, but the best the prime minister could do was repeat clichés and disconnected policy thoughts. “It was a speech devoid of big thinking and big ideas. Starmer has demonstrated again that it is not just a change of leader the party and the country needs, but a huge change of direction.”
The links between Mandelson and Palantir, the meeting with Starmer in the US which was not minuted and the subsequent contracts given to Palantir smell to me. They need proper investigation. This sort of cronyism is not on. Palantir will end up being the Fujitsu of the future and note, BTW, that Fujitsu are still getting government contracts and have paid not one penny in compensation for their appalling behaviour in the Post Office scandal.
I can see the consequences in my case - I learn from the chest clinic that I have cancer in my lung 13 months after admission to hospital and some 11 months after getting a diagnosis from the oncologist which does not mention this. Does he know? Does the GP know? It's not been mentioned in any of the correspondence from the hospital. Will the chest clinic inform the oncologist and GP?
The GP cannot access any of my scans done at the hospital because of privacy. Whose? Because if it's mine, this does not help me? How can the GP treat me if he can't see my scans?
So when I go for physio this week for a pain in my leg which makes walking difficult, how the hell can the physio treat me without seeing the scans and X-rays and knowing that there is cancer in my pelvis?
I have ONE body. The medical professionals treating me need to see everything about me if they and me are going to have a chance.
And I now have one urgent question. Have I been told everything or is there something they're keeping from me or have just put in their files without telling anyone?
Starmer cheered by Labour staffers when announcing nationalisation of British Steel. What he didn’t mention was that its been under the government’s control since April 2025, since when: Taxpayers ponied up almost £400 million in the nine months to January 2026 (9 months). The ongoing cost is around £1.3 million per day. State subsidy to reach ~£615 million by June 2026 — and exceed £1.5 billion by 2028 if the current subsidy
When dealing with lawyers and they say T&Cs apply, better read the small print.
The links between Mandelson and Palantir, the meeting with Starmer in the US which was not minuted and the subsequent contracts given to Palantir smell to me. They need proper investigation. This sort of cronyism is not on. Palantir will end up being the Fujitsu of the future and note, BTW, that Fujitsu are still getting government contracts and have paid not one penny in compensation for their appalling behaviour in the Post Office scandal.
I can see the consequences in my case - I learn from the chest clinic that I have cancer in my lung 13 months after admission to hospital and some 11 months after getting a diagnosis from the oncologist which does not mention this. Does he know? Does the GP know? It's not been mentioned in any of the correspondence from the hospital. Will the chest clinic inform the oncologist and GP?
The GP cannot access any of my scans done at the hospital because of privacy. Whose? Because if it's mine, this does not help me? How can the GP treat me if he can't see my scans?
So when I go for physio this week for a pain in my leg which makes walking difficult, how the hell can the physio treat me without seeing the scans and X-rays and knowing that there is cancer in my pelvis?
I have ONE body. The medical professionals treating me need to see everything about me if they and me are going to have a chance.
And I now have one urgent question. Have I been told everything or is there something they're keeping from me or have just put in their files without telling anyone?
Most canal boat owners seem to want to avoid nasty things like council tax. The old 'continuous cruise' mode. Not surprised he is being found out. He lied about boob growth after all...
To be fair in London there are hardly any residential moorings (or at least was when I knew someone who lived on the boats). So most folk living on the boats are on continuous cruising licences. The terms usually mean they are supposed to move every two weeks. Although clearly for many boats on the canals round London that requirement is adhered to in the breach.
I don’t know for sure, but think that if you don’t have a home mooring you don’t have to pay council tax.
I’d say that it is more likely that Mr Polanski probably breached the continuous cruising rule rather than any requirement to pay council tax.
'Keir Starmer has just said this morning that he would face down a challenge to his leadership. We track member attitudes to that hypothetical. The PM on this measure wins a challenge from anyone but Burnham or Rayner, and would defeat Streeting, Cooper or even membership favourite Ed Miliband in a head to head:
Ben Kentish @BenKentish · 28m If they wanted to prove rather than dispel almost all the concerns that Labour MPs have about the party leadership, they’ve done it.
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 2m Joking aside, it genuinely does look as if the overnight trail really was the bulk of the speech. Literally nothing of substance beyond it. Some more apprenticeships. An EU student programme. Rehash of British Steel policy. Some Labour MPs were wondering if he'd have a rabbit.
Anyone in the Labour Party expecting Starmer to find something up his sleeve had better first explain why they hell he was waiting to do so. It's been obvious for a long time, and really even before the 2024 general election, that this incarnation of Labour doesn't really have any big ideas or ambitions. "Not as bad as the Tories" was the best they could come up with, and it's now debatable if they can even manage that.
The whole idea that one barnstorming speech from a man who does not do oratory, to say the least, will suddenly persuade millions that they don't detest him and feel he is out of his depth etc is just risible.
It 'aint like he is Obama.
You can see why his career as a barrister in private practice came to a shuddering halt to essentially become a civil servant shuffling paper about in the CPS.
Not really, Starmer was already a QC when he got the CPS job, he was a better barrister on the law than Blair for example just a far worse orator with much less charisma
It's a bit weird because being a barrister is the one profession that should provide the transferrable skills useful to a politician: the ability to understand a brief, and convincingly argue the case.
Starmer is clearly past the point of no return but the more we hear about Farage and Polanski, particularly Farage, the more Starmer seems the best of a bad bunch. Anyone thinking Badenoch is the solution to any problem is suffering from cope
I wonder if he'll get around to announcing funding for the defence review ?
The technological and strategic factors are moving more quickly than they can move the photos of rugged looking squaddies around in the .docx
A lot of vaches sacrées/wastes of money/cherished national institutions should be going in the bin but SKS has neither the political capital nor the courage required to do it.
That is also true, and likely the only way that the UK government can start to square the funding circle is to chuck some programs in the bin.
The problem is that there aren't enough things that can be dispensed with in order to fund everything else. An increase in defence spend is necessary simply in order to avoid losing a large slice of our defence industry. Once gone, we won't get it back.
Lots of it should go. There just isn't the industrial capacity to sustain everything while delivering appropriate systems quickly. That's why it's going to take HMS Glasgow 18 years to go from contract award to commissioning. Hence running the T23s way past their design life until the few that are left barely float.
GCAP will be exactly the same. Years late and massively over-budget to the great detriment of actual defence capability.
I remember somebody from Air Command commenting in the 90s when Eurofighter was pulled back from the brink, "The good news is we've saved BAE, the bad news is we'll have keep saving it."
The primary reason our shipbuilding is so inefficient is that we have hardly built any ships for two decades.
When were these two decades?
BAE and Babcock have had many, many billions and their yards are fully occupied until the mid 2030s at a minimum. They have had more than enough investment.
BAE and Babcock are highly experienced govt contractors, of course they're inefficient, the cashflow stops when they complete a project.
Biggest announcement was British Steel will be nationalised
I wish he had announced that Thames Water will be nationalised. That would be popular.
The government is also likely to temporarily nationalise them too soon.
British Steel is owned by a Chinese company now who will have to be compensated if it is nationalised
The compensation would have to be its value. If its value is negative, will the Chinese company pay the government to take it off their hands? Ditto with Thames Water.
Harriet Harperson looks like she has dropped a bollock.
Indeed she does.
I was struck by how old she and Brown both looked. Sunken cheeks, mottled crepe-paper skin, discoloured teeth, wispy hair. Age can be cruel.
They're 75. They get to look 75.
Yes, but teeth can be fixed (veneers) and skin can be temporarily fixed (laser resurfacing, lots of moisturiser & suncream). Hair is a problem, but a short crop does wonders. Farage is an example of how not to do it, and for a man his age (62) he looks awful.
After this dire speech I would not be surprised to see Graham Stringer stand down and Andy Burnham announce he will stand
Over to you Starmer
Unless the NEC approves Burnham as an approved Labour Parliamentary candidate even if every Labour MP in the UK stood down except Starmer, Burnham still could not stand as a Labour candidate
If Burnham is blocked then that will trigger a revolt and a direct challenge to Starmer
I cannot think of a single incentive for Starmer to let Burnham back into Parliament. If Burnham can trigger a contest from outwith the PLP, he will certainly trigger one as soon as he can when back in Parliament. Either way, Burnham will trigger a leadership contest. The only leverage Starmer has is that if Burnham triggers one now, he can't stand in it.
Well Catherine West is going ahead with her challenge today (confirmed), so I expect Sir Graham Stringer to announce his immediate retirement and then we get the showdown at the NEC. Entirely possible the NEC both approves Burnham as candidate *and* immediate timings for a leadership contest...
Harriet Harperson looks like she has dropped a bollock.
Indeed she does.
I was struck by how old she and Brown both looked. Sunken cheeks, mottled crepe-paper skin, discoloured teeth, wispy hair. Age can be cruel.
They're 75. They get to look 75.
Yes, but teeth can be fixed (veneers) and skin can be temporarily fixed (laser resurfacing, lots of moisturiser & suncream). Hair is a problem, but a short crop does wonders. Farage is an example of how not to do it, and for a man his age (62) he looks awful.
After this dire speech I would not be surprised to see Graham Stringer stand down and Andy Burnham announce he will stand
Over to you Starmer
Unless the NEC approves Burnham as an approved Labour Parliamentary candidate even if every Labour MP in the UK stood down except Starmer, Burnham still could not stand as a Labour candidate
If Burnham is blocked then that will trigger a revolt and a direct challenge to Starmer
I cannot think of a single incentive for Starmer to let Burnham back into Parliament. If Burnham can trigger a contest from outwith the PLP, he will certainly trigger one as soon as he can when back in Parliament. Either way, Burnham will trigger a leadership contest. The only leverage Starmer has is that if Burnham triggers one now, he can't stand in it.
Well Catherine West is going ahead with her challenge today (confirmed), so I expect Sir Graham Stringer to announce his immediate retirement and then we get the showdown at the NEC. Entirely possible the NEC both approves Burnham as candidate *and* immediate timings for a leadership contest...
West still needs her 80 nominations from Labour MPs to be a leadership candidate
Starmer is clearly past the point of no return but the more we hear about Farage and Polanski, particularly Farage, the more Starmer seems the best of a bad bunch. Anyone thinking Badenoch is the solution to any problem is suffering from cope
I Thought Starmer was excellent. The journalists in the room were embarrassingly ignorant but Starmer was the best he's been for several years. I voted against him at the election but if I'd heard this version of him he would have got my vote. I liked his manner and manners and he managed to remind us all that his competitors are Badenoch and Farage. The very thought makes me feel queasy
Biggest announcement was British Steel will be nationalised
I wish he had announced that Thames Water will be nationalised. That would be popular.
The government is also likely to temporarily nationalise them too soon.
British Steel is owned by a Chinese company now who will have to be compensated if it is nationalised
The compensation would have to be its value. If its value is negative, will the Chinese company pay the government to take it off their hands? Ditto with Thames Water.
I thought there was some optimism that the water companies could just put into special measures. The taxpayer is going to be rinsed either way, at least if nationalised there might some improvement.
The whole idea that one barnstorming speech from a man who does not do oratory, to say the least, will suddenly persuade millions that they don't detest him and feel he is out of his depth etc is just risible.
It 'aint like he is Obama.
You can see why his career as a barrister in private practice came to a shuddering halt to essentially become a civil servant shuffling paper about in the CPS.
Not really, Starmer was already a QC when he got the CPS job, he was a better barrister on the law than Blair for example just a far worse orator with much less charisma
It's a bit weird because being a barrister is the one profession that should provide the transferrable skills useful to a politician: the ability to understand a brief, and convincingly argue the case.
If you are arguing before a jury yes, arguing before a judge as Starmer would have mostly done as a human rights and international law barrister is likely to have been more about dry technical points of law related to the facts
Seems it's up to Burnham to take a risk as why would Starmer give up the seat - unless he is a very poor negotiator (Insert Chagos comment here). Streeting may have the 81 but does he have the rest?
Delay suits Rayner as well as Burnham but she's the wild card if Burnham can get past the various hurdles. Ed? Well he's Ed but Kemi would love someone worse than her at PM questions.
After this dire speech I would not be surprised to see Graham Stringer stand down and Andy Burnham announce he will stand
Over to you Starmer
Unless the NEC approves Burnham as an approved Labour Parliamentary candidate even if every Labour MP in the UK stood down except Starmer, Burnham still could not stand as a Labour candidate
If Burnham is blocked then that will trigger a revolt and a direct challenge to Starmer
Maybe but then there is a risk Streeting becomes PM who the pro Burnham Labour left hate even more than Starmer
Streeting's Redbridge held onto its Labour majority.
Starmer is clearly past the point of no return but the more we hear about Farage and Polanski, particularly Farage, the more Starmer seems the best of a bad bunch. Anyone thinking Badenoch is the solution to any problem is suffering from cope
I Thought Starmer was excellent. The journalists in the room were embarrassingly ignorant but Starmer was the best he's been for several years. I voted against him at the election but if I'd heard this version of him he would have got my vote. I liked his manner and manners and he managed to remind us all that his competitors are Badenoch and Farage. The very thought makes me feel queasy
He needs all the support he can get as he flounders in his office
Starmer is clearly past the point of no return but the more we hear about Farage and Polanski, particularly Farage, the more Starmer seems the best of a bad bunch. Anyone thinking Badenoch is the solution to any problem is suffering from cope
I Thought Starmer was excellent. The journalists in the room were embarrassingly ignorant but Starmer was the best he's been for several years. I voted against him at the election but if I'd heard this version of him he would have got my vote. I liked his manner and manners and he managed to remind us all that his competitors are Badenoch and Farage. The very thought makes me feel queasy
His competitors right now are Streeting, Miliband, Rayner, and possibly Burnham.
Whilst the voters have decided that Starmer is crap - in my view largely unfairly - and he has to go, I cannot see any of the possible candidates doing much better.The Labour Party has a real problem. But then so does the Conservative Party - interesting times!
Starmer is clearly past the point of no return but the more we hear about Farage and Polanski, particularly Farage, the more Starmer seems the best of a bad bunch. Anyone thinking Badenoch is the solution to any problem is suffering from cope
I Thought Starmer was excellent. The journalists in the room were embarrassingly ignorant but Starmer was the best he's been for several years. I voted against him at the election but if I'd heard this version of him he would have got my vote. I liked his manner and manners and he managed to remind us all that his competitors are Badenoch and Farage. The very thought makes me feel queasy
...I am well used to Kemi being underestimated. After last week she is going to surprise on the upside, and at least she can look on with a smile as labour tears itself apart
The Conservative LE results were: third in England, fourth in Wales, fifth in Scotland, NEV 20%, nowcast 96 seats in UK. She's going to have to surprise on the upside because without bombing an old people's home she can't surprise on the downside any more.
Whilst the voters have decided that Starmer is crap - in my view largely unfairly - and he has to go, I cannot see any of the possible candidates doing much better.The Labour Party has a real problem. But then so does the Conservative Party - interesting times!
The problem Starmer has is that Labour needed to hit the ground running in July 2024 and they arrived utterly unprepared looking like a rabbit caught in the headlamp of a fast approaching car...
"Data gathered by the global business insurer QBE via freedom of information requests reveals that fire brigades were called to 1,760 fires linked to lithium-ion batteries in 2025, equating to 4.8 fires a day, an increase of 147% over the past three years.
Electric vehicle fires rose by 133% over the same period, while the number of electric vehicles on UK roads tripled during that time.
QBE researchers found that ebike fires made up nearly a third of all lithium-ion battery fires nationally and noted that retrofitted and converted ebikes appeared to be disproportionately involved compared with certified models.
There were 520 callouts to fires involving ebikes in 2025, compared with 149 in 2022. London fire brigade (LFB) tackled 44% of these, with 230 ebike fires occurring in the capital last year and five related fatalities in the past three years."
Whilst the voters have decided that Starmer is crap - in my view largely unfairly - and he has to go, I cannot see any of the possible candidates doing much better.The Labour Party has a real problem. But then so does the Conservative Party - interesting times!
The problem Starmer has is that Labour needed to hit the ground running in July 2024 and they arrived utterly unprepared looking like a rabbit caught in the headlamp of a fast approaching car...
Sunak’s early election was part of a long-term plan to kill off Labour.
Starmer is clearly past the point of no return but the more we hear about Farage and Polanski, particularly Farage, the more Starmer seems the best of a bad bunch. Anyone thinking Badenoch is the solution to any problem is suffering from cope
I Thought Starmer was excellent. The journalists in the room were embarrassingly ignorant but Starmer was the best he's been for several years. I voted against him at the election but if I'd heard this version of him he would have got my vote. I liked his manner and manners and he managed to remind us all that his competitors are Badenoch and Farage. The very thought makes me feel queasy
I don't think you actually watched the speech
He did he watched it with the sound off and the picture off
Whilst the voters have decided that Starmer is crap - in my view largely unfairly - and he has to go, I cannot see any of the possible candidates doing much better.The Labour Party has a real problem. But then so does the Conservative Party - interesting times!
The problem Starmer has is that Labour needed to hit the ground running in July 2024 and they arrived utterly unprepared looking like a rabbit caught in the headlamp of a fast approaching car...
Sunak’s early election was part of a long-term plan to kill off Labour.
That gives Rishi far too much credit, the election was called because the tories saw what was coming and knew that continuing any longer would cost them even more seats than they won/
"Data gathered by the global business insurer QBE via freedom of information requests reveals that fire brigades were called to 1,760 fires linked to lithium-ion batteries in 2025, equating to 4.8 fires a day, an increase of 147% over the past three years.
Electric vehicle fires rose by 133% over the same period, while the number of electric vehicles on UK roads tripled during that time.
QBE researchers found that ebike fires made up nearly a third of all lithium-ion battery fires nationally and noted that retrofitted and converted ebikes appeared to be disproportionately involved compared with certified models.
There were 520 callouts to fires involving ebikes in 2025, compared with 149 in 2022. London fire brigade (LFB) tackled 44% of these, with 230 ebike fires occurring in the capital last year and five related fatalities in the past three years."
It’s the Chinese kits, cheaply ordered online and often mislabeled, that are the problem. Customs need to be better at finding them, and trading standards need to be more proactive in policing bike shops reselling and fitting them. No, your electric Brompton isn’t going to ‘go on fire’.
I do wonder how well the Chinese cars are crash-tested, and if what arrives on the boat is then representative of what was certified. As with bikes, a Western-brand car is unlikely to catch fire in regular use, as opposed to after a major accident.
Whilst the voters have decided that Starmer is crap - in my view largely unfairly - and he has to go, I cannot see any of the possible candidates doing much better.The Labour Party has a real problem. But then so does the Conservative Party - interesting times!
The problem Starmer has is that Labour needed to hit the ground running in July 2024 and they arrived utterly unprepared looking like a rabbit caught in the headlamp of a fast approaching car...
Sunak’s early election was part of a long-term plan to kill off Labour.
That gives Rishi far too much credit, the election was called because the tories saw what was coming and knew that continuing any longer would cost them even more seats than they won/
So the 4 to 6 week Iran adventure that's running ahead of schedule has passed the 10 week mark
It may be that UK domestic politics has been taking up all the space, but do I get an impression that Trump in the last few weeks has been, like Tigger, slightly unbounced?
His magnetic and charming personality and his outstandingly helpful and clear policy announcements are getting very little attention SFAICS. This is unnatural.
...What have they actually achieved, beyond raising taxes on employment, VAT on school fees which costs money, public sector pay rises, welfare caps removed, and 40-week abortions?
...abolition of the concept of transsexuality, removal of the right to jury trial, removal of the right to protest, removal of access to internet pornography, restricted access to the internet, actual destruction of the Royal Navy, and - I shit you not - voluntary repatriation.
Oh, and they nearly passed a bill to kill the old and sick.
There is no abolition of the concept of trans. That is a gross misrepresentation of the SC judgement
Post-FWS, there are now no circumstances in which a person born male is now legally the opposite sex. Opposite pronouns may be used but they (no longer?) attach to the rights or status of the opposite sex and are now purely ceremonial. The words "gender" and "sex" now mean different things.
I disagree with this wholeheartedly and also disagree with the gender critical interpretation that FWS was a clarification instead of a retcon. But regardless of what the situation was then, the question of what the situation is now has been resolved: the concept of a "sex change" now has no legal meaning in the United Kingdom.
Comments
To any Labour MP thinking of challenging @Keir_Starmer - Farage/MAGA/Putin bots are driving this right now: it's all part of their strategy of tension. Don't be naïve.
https://x.com/paulmasonnews/status/2053771816661868607?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q
In any case, all that is probably moot. Long before Burnham were to become an MP, Streeting could at any time announce that he is going to challenge Starmer. He would prefer not to be the first to jump (although in that I think he is misjudging the mood) but he will do so if it is necessary to pre-empt Burnham. If Catherine West triggers a contest he will certainly join in, and one of either Miliband or Rayner (or initially possibly both before one withdraws in favour of the other) will then stand to oppose him.
The next leader of the Labour Party is going to be someone who is already an MP.
1. Removed the red lines on customs union and single market. Appeal to Remainers, LDs.
2. Announced willingness to nationalise all strategic assets where competition is impossible such as water, grid, railways, where it is in the national interest. Appeal to Polanski followers.
3. Announce that Reeves will be replaced by Milliband who will oversee a step change in defence spending. Appeal to anti-Reeves and pro defence voters.
4. Announce the cessation of all arms exports to Israel. Appeal to pro Palestinians.
Announced calmly, slowly, without shouting and fake passion.
This would have moved the dial.
Any surprises?
If not and he wants to do something memorable he should announce withdrawal from the Refugee Convention and reduction of the interest rate on student loans to zero.
Meanwhile from yesterday's rally -
Things like indefinite detention without trial, warrantless mass surveillance and ID cards linked to everything.
Good morning, everyone.
The delay is pretty much Contempt of Parliament
What is he hiding?
The issue is attaching them to everything - but the idea of a single card you can use to confirm that you are David Smith solves a lot of problems.
Posted August 31st:-
Isam: I’d forgotten about this; Man Utd got a penalty for what Fulham had a goal disallowed for yesterday...
Me: With the return of 2-tier refereeing and generous Fergie time, I am almost tempted to back Manchester United: 7/2 for a top-4 finish.
The funny thing is it took 24 hours to actually place the bet. Thanks, Isam, if you're back. Is that the aftertiming klaxon?
I could implement one with a small team, and a not very huge budget. The big money would be in handling sign up - which I would handle through the Passport Office.
But that wouldn’t support having a new office building, a logo. Probably wouldn’t need a department to run it. No billions on contractors.
So, every time, we get the Minority Report shit.
https://x.com/NeilDotObrien/status/2053772901455646823
The amount of faffing around with successive defence reviews; design revisions; reduction in orders; deferring of delivery dates etc, defies description in a PB post.
Yes, they've had a lot of money, but they haven't delivered any frigates.
Yards are only efficient when they have long term orders for a type of which they build multiple copies. That has yet to happen.
It's expensive to keep shipbuilding capacity on life support, which is what we've been doing since forever. Now that Europe is rearming, and everyone wants new ships, we're in no great shape to deliver. But we could be.
British Steel is owned by a Chinese company now who will have to be compensated if it is nationalised
He is starting to be found out. Good. He needs the scrutiny as does the other parties.
Post-FWS, there are now no circumstances in which a person born male is now legally the opposite sex. Opposite pronouns may be used but they (no longer?) attach to the rights or status of the opposite sex and are now purely ceremonial. The words "gender" and "sex" now mean different things.
I disagree with this wholeheartedly and also disagree with the gender critical interpretation that FWS was a clarification instead of a retcon. But regardless of what the situation was then, the question of what the situation is now has been resolved: the concept of a "sex change" now has no legal meaning in the United Kingdom.
The prime minister’s speech was “devoid of big thinking and big ideas”, the director of a cross-party campaign group has said.
Neal Lawson, the director of Compass and a supporter of the potential Labour leadership challenger Andy Burnham, said: “This speech was at best sticking plaster politics. It was totally underwhelming.
“Labour is losing everywhere to everyone and facing an existential crisis, but the best the prime minister could do was repeat clichés and disconnected policy thoughts.
“It was a speech devoid of big thinking and big ideas. Starmer has demonstrated again that it is not just a change of leader the party and the country needs, but a huge change of direction.”
* From The Times live feed
https://www.ft.com/content/8ce1b9be-1d51-466b-90de-54bff1a504ca (£££)
No. Just no.
The links between Mandelson and Palantir, the meeting with Starmer in the US which was not minuted and the subsequent contracts given to Palantir smell to me. They need proper investigation. This sort of cronyism is not on. Palantir will end up being the Fujitsu of the future and note, BTW, that Fujitsu are still getting government contracts and have paid not one penny in compensation for their appalling behaviour in the Post Office scandal.
And then there is this - https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/nhs-doctors-gp-patient-data-kings-speech-3bgjtc3g7
Why the hell is this not already the case?
I can see the consequences in my case - I learn from the chest clinic that I have cancer in my lung 13 months after admission to hospital and some 11 months after getting a diagnosis from the oncologist which does not mention this. Does he know? Does the GP know? It's not been mentioned in any of the correspondence from the hospital. Will the chest clinic inform the oncologist and GP?
The GP cannot access any of my scans done at the hospital because of privacy. Whose? Because if it's mine, this does not help me? How can the GP treat me if he can't see my scans?
So when I go for physio this week for a pain in my leg which makes walking difficult, how the hell can the physio treat me without seeing the scans and X-rays and knowing that there is cancer in my pelvis?
I have ONE body. The medical professionals treating me need to see everything about me if they and me are going to have a chance.
And I now have one urgent question. Have I been told everything or is there something they're keeping from me or have just put in their files without telling anyone?
When dealing with lawyers and they say T&Cs apply, better read the small print.
https://www.ft.com/content/8ce1b9be-1d51-466b-90de-54bff1a504ca (£££)
No. Just no.
The links between Mandelson and Palantir, the meeting with Starmer in the US which was not minuted and the subsequent contracts given to Palantir smell to me. They need proper investigation. This sort of cronyism is not on. Palantir will end up being the Fujitsu of the future and note, BTW, that Fujitsu are still getting government contracts and have paid not one penny in compensation for their appalling behaviour in the Post Office scandal.
And then there is this - https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/nhs-doctors-gp-patient-data-kings-speech-3bgjtc3g7
Why the hell is this not already the case?
I can see the consequences in my case - I learn from the chest clinic that I have cancer in my lung 13 months after admission to hospital and some 11 months after getting a diagnosis from the oncologist which does not mention this. Does he know? Does the GP know? It's not been mentioned in any of the correspondence from the hospital. Will the chest clinic inform the oncologist and GP?
The GP cannot access any of my scans done at the hospital because of privacy. Whose? Because if it's mine, this does not help me? How can the GP treat me if he can't see my scans?
So when I go for physio this week for a pain in my leg which makes walking difficult, how the hell can the physio treat me without seeing the scans and X-rays and knowing that there is cancer in my pelvis?
I have ONE body. The medical professionals treating me need to see everything about me if they and me are going to have a chance.
And I now have one urgent question. Have I been told everything or is there something they're keeping from me or have just put in their files without telling anyone?
I don’t know for sure, but think that if you don’t have a home mooring you don’t have to pay council tax.
I’d say that it is more likely that Mr Polanski probably breached the continuous cruising rule rather than any requirement to pay council tax.
https://x.com/DamianSurvation/status/2053775444004962697?s=20'
Ben Kentish
@BenKentish
·
28m
If they wanted to prove rather than dispel almost all the concerns that Labour MPs have about the party leadership, they’ve done it.
https://x.com/BenKentish/status/2053779490686349348
But she will need to say something within 12 to 24 hours given that she is also waiting for potential Cabinet moves
If its value is negative, will the Chinese company pay the government to take it off their hands?
Ditto with Thames Water.
Labour MP: "The only good thing about this speech is that we get to see a better version of it on SNL this weekend."
https://x.com/andrewlawrence/status/2053123992739791091?s=46&t=fJymV-V84rexmlQMLXHHJQ
Understand Catherine West will go ahead with a letter to Labour MPs later today - but stopping short of stating her candidacy.
Will instead canvas support for a timetable for the PM to stand down and allow a transition.
Weak weak weak
Mind you I am 82
It's a wonder that most people accept it with grace.
https://x.com/Townfangreg/status/2053787867566973153/photo/1
Delay suits Rayner as well as Burnham but she's the wild card if Burnham can get past the various hurdles. Ed? Well he's Ed but Kemi would love someone worse than her at PM questions.
Burnham's Manchester was lost to NOC.
That highlighted the lack of any political thinking .
I think of more interest today is what Rayner says later.
"Data gathered by the global business insurer QBE via freedom of information requests reveals that fire brigades were called to 1,760 fires linked to lithium-ion batteries in 2025, equating to 4.8 fires a day, an increase of 147% over the past three years.
Electric vehicle fires rose by 133% over the same period, while the number of electric vehicles on UK roads tripled during that time.
QBE researchers found that ebike fires made up nearly a third of all lithium-ion battery fires nationally and noted that retrofitted and converted ebikes appeared to be disproportionately involved compared with certified models.
There were 520 callouts to fires involving ebikes in 2025, compared with 149 in 2022. London fire brigade (LFB) tackled 44% of these, with 230 ebike fires occurring in the capital last year and five related fatalities in the past three years."
I do wonder how well the Chinese cars are crash-tested, and if what arrives on the boat is then representative of what was certified. As with bikes, a Western-brand car is unlikely to catch fire in regular use, as opposed to after a major accident.
Starmer speech too little too late
Seeking support for leadership timetable
His magnetic and charming personality and his outstandingly helpful and clear policy announcements are getting very little attention SFAICS. This is unnatural.