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

Honestly, I'm convinced that the only reason people think Starmer is doing a bad job is that we are constantly being TOLD by the right-wing media that he's doing a bad job.

British people are very fickle. It's a very in one ear, out the other way of living - when the press were hounding us with "stop the boats" headlines, it was all you heard about. As soon as those headlines disappeared, a lot of people (specifically my parents) stopped banging on about it.

In my opinion, he could single handedly stop the Ukraine, Gaza and Iran wars, give every single person in the country a million pounds, fix the NHS and he would STILL be treated like shit. It's frankly bizarre.

I admit I voted labour. But I was a swing voter, in an incredibly safe Tory seat and quite frankly I flipped a coin in the booth between labour and Lib Dem.

But since Labour has been in, the NHS waiting lists in my area have dropped dramatically (my dad thought he would have to wait 3 years for a knee op, he's been told it's actually closer to 6 months!). My work as a freelancer has rocketed and I'm working at capacity for the first time since May 2024. Before Trump decided to invade Iran, I wasn't getting as panicked about renewing my mortgage as rates were dropping - literally by every metric, I was personally seeing improvements.

Internationally, we need a trained lawyer who can help de-escalate any situation.

We cannot forget that Kemi and Nigel's immediate thoughts were that we should have joined the US in an illegal war.

It would be an absolute disaster if Starmer resigned. I'm not a fan by any means but he's doing a decent job at dealing with Trump and balancing a lot of very delicate balls (excuse the pun). Who the hell would do any better, at this point?

The media are bloody toxic and are out for more blood. Remember Teresa May? They're got their sights on Starmer and it's disgusting. I won't buy any papers. They make me sick.

And that what to do with their competence? O’Donnell is widely regarded as one of the most competent heads of the civil service ever.

Anyway, Starmer's on soon, so we'll see what we will see. Meanwhile I've got a desk to build.

May the least worse lie win.

Both GO'D and AR are Stonewalled and Pink News-lauded QT+ luvvies.

Same here.

How did it come to this?

I can't stand Starmer but the thought of who would replace him fills me with even more dread and that's the only reason I want him to stay.

There probably are a few. I think OR will have a case though. It looks like he might go to tribunal, perhaps a large payout.

Starmer panicked and sacked anyone without checking, he didn’t check anything really even before statements to the house.

Not according to her previous boss, Gus O’Donnell, in this morning’s Times

In Dame Antonia the prime minister has a real heavyweight — the hugely talented and experienced leader he needs as a partner to fix this foundational relationship.

Yes, I know. She's another one who is steeped in Stonewall 'Law' though, like the others. Damaging and intellectually pathetic.

It’s not about world events for me, it’s about the fact there is no one to replace him, so we’d lurch from one disaster to an even bigger one. So as much as I can’t get over how bad he is, I don’t hold him responsible, it’s all of them, and getting some other incapable fool in isn’t going to make it any better.

And what a shock, it only took a few days in her new job until she became embroiled in a scandal in which she was either incompetent or part of a dishonest cover up

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/17/keir-starmer-kept-in-dark-peter-mandelson-vetting-two-top-civil-servants

Exactly this. The whole current government, from elected officials to civil servants, is infected with people who lie that men can become women.

Why is anyone surprised that it turns out that they're all lying about everything else as well? It's the norm, not a one off.

Antonia Romeo is still there, Starmer only recently put her there.

Sue Gray, Morgan McSweeney, Olly Robbins

Frankly, those senior civil servants who permitted the whole Civil Service to be compromised by organisations like Stonewall - which gave unlawful advice and misogynistic training - needed sacking anyway. Antonia Romeo is another one.

In fact Antonia Romeo was criticised for taking two weeks to tell the Prime Minister that Lord Mandelson had failed vetting, was she not?

That's the trouble when you willingly get infiltrated by a grandiose ideology. You get used to lying, deflecting and obfuscating. The Civil Service at the top is absolutely rotten, and so are the networks and unions that are supposed to be for the benefit of staff. Same with the NHS.

He won’t be going anywhere. Kemi Badenoch’s demands are just performative nonsense they all indulge in. It does appear that neither he nor her or indeed most people who have commented understand the vetting process which is a bit worrying.

Your post said ‘he was told it was approved’. By whom?

Fortunately Olly Robbins has a chance to defend his corner against yet another sacking by Starmer to save his skin. Sue Gray, Morgan McSweeney, Olly Robbins, the others fell on their sword for KS, it doesn’t look like he will.

As I just said - announcing the candidate before vetting commences is standard practice (according to Calum Miller & who I just cited and I heard Douglas Alexander confirm again this morning). That tracks with every other area of public and private sector vetting - appointments made pending vetting, commence job once vetting complete, or revoke appointment. PM wasn't sent abroad til Feb 25 - once vetting had concluded.

Starmer has repeatedly said he was not told he failed. He would have been given the green light from the FDCO before sending PM. Surely we can infer from that he was told he was approved to proceed with the post (however that approval came about would not have been passed on, just a yes or no, if the vetting decision had been overturned, it was a yes...however they eventually arrived at the yes). Miller said it was absolutely normal for neither minister nor prime minister to receive further details of the vetting process).

The PM is emphatically denying he knew he failed. We know he must have been given an answer either way and if he's saying he wasn't told no, he must have been told yes. If he had been told no, it would be very easy to prove. So I guess we'll see later today, or at the select committee hearing tomorrow.

My only question is who was putting pressure on OR to overturn the decision, if anyone. I don't believe it was Starmer, genuinely. If that turns out to be incorrect, I'm absolutely behind him going. Otherwise, I think it's madness to lose him now.

Where did you see / read that he was told he was approved?

I don’t think that’s correct. In any case Starmer and co appointed Mandelson before vetting had even finished.

Having the personality of a chalkboard means you wouldn't want to date him, not that he's unfit for PM.

It sounds like you've completely misunderstood the process. It's not that KS didn't know why he failed vetting. He didn't know at all. It has been confirmed by multiple sources that no minister, or indeed prime minister, would have received those details. Just a "yes approved" or "not approved". He was told he was approved.

Calum Miller (now MP for Bicester but formerly a senior civil servant to the Cabinet Office, Foreign Office & Treasury) confirmed this was entirely normal process. Position announced, vetting commenced, PM passed a yes or no.

Have a read of other threads, this one is like pre GE selling in Labour still.

what has been so terrible?

It’s not a Tory government is what’s so terrible. This government could transform public services overnight, eliminate poverty, reduce taxes to peanuts and deliver a gold ingot to every household and some people would still be complaining.

I rate Streeting, which seems important because AFAICS, the UK is only the NHS with a little country attached.

There’s no forcing. Some are posting they think he should stay and he’s done nothing wrong, many don’t rate him.