Burnham has been blocked!

I like Burnham, but think this is the right decision. He has an elected post, he needs to see that out.
Burnham has made decisions in the past that have damaged Labour electorally. He’s doing it again.

Continually attempting to blame the Tories to cover up Labour's woeful performance doesn't wash with voters as we see every time there is a new poll.

Is it? Because i can’t think of a single social
or economic measure where Labour have performed worse than the Tories that isn’t the delayed effect of Tory policy, or the impact of international geopolitical shifts beyond our control.

Google can’t either.

You know perfectly well - the list is long. If you need education, a quick Google search will suffice.

Is there any way this can be appealed? Does anyone know?

How have they “run the country into the ground” please? Can you point to three social or economic measures where labour have a) made things worse and b) it isn’t a lagged effect of Tory policy?

I’ll wait.

He's an utter coward.

He’s blocked him because he knows he’d win. What a wet lettuce.

Labour has had 18 months to run the country into the ground - they've managed that spectacularly well under Starmer's weak spineless leadership. The public would happily get rid of them tomorrow if there was a GE.

Completely agree with you on this issue. No matter what party is in power my heart sinks when it gets to the infighting/leadership challenge stage because it tends to become all consuming at the expense of the good of the country.

Never here Keir and that awful Rachel Thieves - the one who seems to have no compunction about lying about everything.

They need to be gone.

That had already happened with May elections being cancelled

Exactly this about his political judgement. He's very very good at sensing the public mood. Less good at the party political mood- and he’s going to need both if he ever makes it to number 10.

I’d love to know who’s advising him. He needs a good strategist if he’s serious about re entering parliamentary politics, and the top job.

I agree, and I think it reflects the fact that Burnham's political judgement might not be quite as good as he thinks it is.

I think Starmer will need to be replaced as leader prior to the next general election, but now isn't the right time.

End of democracy

I like Burnham a lot. And in many ways he’s much more likely to be able to mount a challenge at GE, to the populist right than Starmer.

But he’s played his hand too soon.

Sensible voters KNOW that labour received a shitty hand from the Tories after the last election, and that it would take time to turn things around. They’ve had next to no time, and I think if No 10 could hold their nerve, and the Labour Party could maintain discipline, then actually in 12-18 months things would look very different in terms of opinion polls.

All Burnham has done is undermine Starmer, to no good purpose, and far too soon. He must have known he’d be blocked. All it’s done for me personally is put me off Burnham a bit, and made me feel like he’s out for himself more than I hoped he would be.

Doesn't Burnham come with Raynor as deputy though. God help us!

Not at all surprised.

Classic Labour behaviour

I think Labour must be regretting the day the Unions put their backing behind Ed Miliband over David for the Labour leadership. It's been a slow motion car crash with the PLP making one poor decision after another ever since.

I think Burnham made the wrong choice in putting himself forward. For all Starmer's faults - and he has many - the Labour Party needs to stay united and focus on governing the country right now.

Unfortunately, I think the NEC has also probably made the wrong decision in not letting Burnham stand. It will just create more division and infighting, when they should be working together to address the major challenges that we face as a country.

I actually wish that we had a rule in place that said that parties can't change their leaders mid term without calling a general election. Once elected, they should stop squabbling amongst themselves and focus on the job that they were elected to do.

Of course Starmer was in a tricky position. But he’s so shit at politics. Gwynne has been negotiating to stand down for weeks. If Starmer wanted to block Burnham, the NEC should have worked with the CLP to have a strong alternative candidate not just in mind but being given a public profile. They would then have been able make a best for Manchester - effective successful Mayor, great popular candidate that can beat Reform in the by-election, more joined up thinking at national and local level etc etc - and best for the party - no splits here, guv - case for this decision.

Instead we get this rock and a hard place situation, with Starmer pretty much damned either way, and the party riven by more in-fighting just when things have started (too slowly and too little, I agree) to improve.

There are Senedd elections in May in Wales and Welsh Labour, in power for over 25 years, are predicted to lose spectacularly.

What May local elections? They are cancelled in our area.

Starmer is toast now. This makes him look extremely weak.

I like Burnham a lot, so Im not coming into this unbiassed, but Starmer needs to understand that he is losing support and that is the way leaderships go - theres never a good time. Don't hang on by a thread the post isnt about you - its about the UK.