Labour isn't Working - Thread 31

[WaffleBomb]

A chat thread for those who don't like this Labour* *government. 💙

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.

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SNP hold Dundee West, but again their vote share down 13 percentage points.

Ward declaration in Wakefield, not sure if the first declaration. Resounding Reform win over Labour.

To add context Labour went into the election with 50 of the 63 seats.

The BBC update page says “In Wales, Labour's deputy first minister tells the BBC he's expecting the party to lose power - ”

So Labour’s conceded Wales. I know they were expected to lose, but admitting defeat in Wales hours early is quite something. WALES! I just can’t see what Labour can do now except put an arm round Starmer and tell him the cab’s waiting outside. I doubt they’ll do that though. No spine.

Turnout high in Wales too. Looking forward to the result.

Sir Keir Starmer must agree to an orderly exit and set out a timetable for his departure, Labour MPs have said.

The Prime Minister said he was “not going to walk away and plunge the country into chaos” following a disastrous set of local election results.

His words appear to rule out a resignation and immediate departure from Downing Street, but not necessarily a managed exit.

Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, reportedly held a private phone call with Sir Keir over the last fortnight to establish a timeline for his departure from No 10. Mr Miliband’s team did not explicitly deny the report in The Times.

Asked whether he should resign immediately or plan an orderly departure, Graham Stringer, the Labour MP, told The Telegraph: “I think it would be much better for him to set out a timetable.

“I think we might be in danger of getting somebody who’s no better. Without a policy debate to clarify where people are going, we could just have a ridiculous beauty contest.”

Ian Lavery, a former Labour chairman, warned that Sir Keir could “kill the Labour Party” if he remained its leader, telling BBC Radio 4 that “an organised withdrawal” would be the best course of action.

John McDonnell, a former shadow chancellor, and Jonathan Brash, the MP for Hartlepool, also called for a “timetable” for Sir Keir’s exit.

Labour is on course to receive its worst set of local election results in the party’s history, having already lost control of nine councils on Friday morning.

DT

Chinny reckon, Steve!

Labour ultra loyal will stay say look over there. This is a Starmer story.. stay or go.

Keir Starmer isn’t going to resign. He is too shameless.

Steve Reed and John Healey are both laughable

The old boy should be put out to pasture.

The trouble for Labour with a timetabled exit for Starmer is that it’s not like Blair and Brown. That was a coronation. Nobody dared stand against Brown.

If Starmer says he’ll go by, say, autumn party conference, that leaves months for challengers to poke each others’ eyes out. Nobody does civil war like Labour.

They should just get on with it and get the fighting over as quickly as possible. This Labour cabinet is too weak to do that though. Oh dear, how sad, never mind.

Awful. Someone on the radio trying to suggest Healey should have a go at leadership. Yeh no just a Starmer mouthpiece.

Yes - I come at things from the angle, how much more damage can they do to many of us? If we suffer, everyone suffers - and clearly the electorate are done with this lot. On that premise, I would be happy for them to commit to a very public seppuku.

Diane Abbott has things to say - photo from X attached.

DA is continuing to surprise - to the upside.

We have had two results come in- both won by Independents who were both incumbents.

I'm surprised tbh.

I think shes enjoying the freedom to speak out!

Go, Diane, Go!

Warning light flashes for Burham backers amid Labour’s results in north-west
If today’s results send a grim message to Keir Starmer, they might also give Andy Burnham’s supporters pause for thought.

The mayor’s path back to Westminster is expected to involve an MP standing aside for him in Merseyside or his current backyard of Greater Manchester.
But results in those two former Labour heartlands have so far been dire. Wigna and Halton both went to Reform. Today’s result in St Helens (at around 2:30pm) could also see a similar result.

And in Manchester, while Labour’s majority means it cannot lose control, the party is battling both Reform and the Greens. Early warning signs emerged from Salford, where the Greens made gains in communities of urban professionals.
Local elections do not translate directly to by-elections — and by the standards of any other Labour politician Burnham has somewhat of a Midas touch — but these results will demand his supporters hold their nerve. They also point to the potential risks in the Greater Manchester by-election that would be triggered by his departure.

If it was difficult to determine the outlook for Labour’s northern heartlands before this set of results, it is even harder to do so now.

FT

All 32 seats being counted counted in Manchester. Labour down 24, 17 to the Greens and 7 to Reforn.

Rumour that the current Welsh First Minister will fail to get re-elected. If she was first in the Labour list in that constituency if true that is a huge collapse in the vote.

Burnham will never get the job. Starmer hates him and will try to thwart him, the other contenders will want him kept out, time is against him, and his chances in any northern Labour seat now are doubtful anyway.

I just don’t get why cabinet members don’t break ranks immediately. Do they really want to be associated with keeping Starmer in place, the man who killed Labour? The Labour cabinet now don’t have the Corbyn era excuse of serving under the bearded fool - as Starmer did - because “I did it to save my party”. Serving under Starmer is just to take the money and the chauffeured government limo. And face certain oblivion.

It’s all very strange.

I can only conclude that his would-be successors are bigger cowards than our man, Starmer.

Labour currently down 393 seats with around 75% still to be declared.

Ouch