To think no one can SERIOUSLY want Starmer to go now, it’s media created instability designed to damage the UK.

I do agree that the media are pushing his resignation. And yes, we can't keep having PM's resign.
The solution to this would be to have much better quality PM's who don't keep giving the media ample ammunition to call for their resignation.

I honestly don't see the point in getting rid of him only to replace him with an equally repugnant, useless liability. And I've loathed him as a vacuous moral coward since long before he became PM.
But look at the choices? Rayner? Lammy? Streeting? Nah. We need a change of government. Swapping out the head won't help. They're all useless. Lammy might be the stupidest man in the entire cabinet.

Totally agree. I don’t even like Starmer that much and I think he’s doing a great job standing up to cunt Trump

Rubbish. His predecessor Dame Karen Pierce was extremely popular with Trump. He even extended special privileges to her.
He didn't like Mandelson. Whatever Starmer's reasons for putting Mandelson in place, it wasn't to placate Trump.

There was already somebody in post who was able to do that. They got rid of her to put Mandelson in. Stupid decision.

I don’t think Starmer should resign but I do think he should reflect seriously on his own failings in this whole affair. I accept he wasn’t told about the failed vetting but he seems curiously incurious about Mandelson, who, let’s face it, comes with “baggage”.

All the drama surrounding him is entirely of his own making.

1. The media only cares about clicks / reach, not what is in the best interests of the general public or the country (see Brexit / Reform)
2. The media is largely run / owned by rich, right wing interests (see culture wars)
3. Labour is not always held to a much higher standard but a standard! (see 14 years of unashamed corruption committed by Tories — they made a heap of cash with no accountability)

I totally agree, OP. I'm appalled that the Guardian seems to be working itself into a froth about the Mandelson stuff too. Why the fuck is the Guardian trying to destablise the government right now?

We don't even know why Mandelson failed the vetting!

Compared with all the shit the Tories brazenly did, this seems like a weirdly minor issue to beat Starmer with, when he's actually doing the core job really well - of navigating the current geopolitical tinder box.

We could very well be at war. He's avoided it.

Starmer is a great disappointment but democracy isn't a pick'n'mix sweet stall. Labour backbenches would be barking mad to orchestrate a leadership election. Far better to hold on until 2029 so at least they have full term under their belt. As for journalists, they're doing their job. Politics is a dirty business and there will always be dirt to dhovel.

He is a liar, an Islamist terrorist supporter and has a cabinet full of incompetents but apart from
thet yeah he’s great

I agree, OP. We've had so much turmoil in the last ten years that journalists can't stand political stability and not changing PMs every few months.

Agreed.

So many people seem to have their head in the sand about the geopolitical situation (of which the UK has little influence) and the potential worsening of it

Starmer is boring and sensible. I want boring and sensible at the moment.

I'm sick of the media pushing for resignation. Yes starmer isn't charismatic, and he prevaricates before making decisions which comes across as indecisive, but at the current moment I'm glad he is the PM. He didn't knee jerk jump into an ill thought out war as the other leaders were clamouring for.

I want a grown up in charge for once, not someone just looking out for their popularity and votes.
As for mandelson. Trump is unstable and unpredictable and they needed someone who could work with him.
Yes it was an unwise decision but I kind of get why they wanted a trump whisperer in that position.someone who knows how to handle him.

If it is media manipulation Starmer’s government might do well to stop doing so many completely fucking stupid things to create things for the media to manipulate.

I don't want Starmer to go - he needs to finish the job of destroying the Labour Party

I appreciate that Labour's large majority is due to the FPTP system. However, you specifically said that if the public didn't want him, they shouldn't have voted Labour. I was responding to that point, in that most didn't, they were screwed over by FPTP.

He has 403 Labour MPs. He’s not failed to get any policies through parliament. He’s not failed to hold cabinet together.

Him not being popular with people who didn’t vote for him/Labour in the first place is a cheap excuse to get him to go.

We have a first past the post system - it’s not ideal but Labour won far more seats than any other party, to the extent the other parties couldn’t get close to a coalition even if they could all agree to work together.

under your logic, we’ll never have a “true” prime minister again.

Labour have 403 seats. The next biggest party (conservatives) have 116, the third largest is actually LibDem but the media would have you think it’s reform.

(You could argue that only the people who live in Starmers constituency actually voted for him.)

Labour have a significant majority, they can push through pretty much whatever they want- eliminating the other political drama for the media of “if x number rebel, they won’t get the policy though.”

Yes the media do.

look at brexit and the airtime they gave farage.

There’s always wars going on, seems like a cheap excuse for Starmer to stay.

No more than pushing the agenda that the media are currently doing. They all seem to want Starmer's head on a block.

The large majority didn't vote for him. He wasn't even close to Labour getting 50% of the vote share.

Exactly this. Getting on with difficult and complex things, making slow progress - none of this suits them. Easier to shout 'resign!' and opposition party leaders are happy to supply that drama.

Same here. We desperately need stability not another roundabout of party leaders that we had with the Conservatives for years. And I am no fan of Starmer particularly.